Aaron Ramsey's blonde hairstyle is not as bright as in Euro 2016 but the Wales midfielder insists he can still be as dazzling.
Ramsey was a blonde bombshell in France six years ago when he rocked a peroxide look and produced a series of eye-catching displays. It helped propel Wales into the semi-finals and Ramsey into the team of the tournament.
Now, in the twilight of his career aged 31, Ramsey is no longer in his prime after a succession of injuries and unsuccessful moves to Juventus and Rangers.
But the ace is back playing at Nice in France in Ligue 1 and ready to deliver for his country in Qatar after dyeing his hair again for Wales' first appearance in the finals in 64 years.
“I just fancied a change again , it is falling out,” smiled Ramsey, who has 20 goals in 75 caps since making his debut in 2008. “I thought I would do it now before I can’t anymore.
“I didn’t want to go as bright as last time. But I still feel like I am more than capable of producing performances. I never doubt my ability. For me, it's about trying to help my team as much as I can to have a successful tournament. I'm really looking forward to it and hopefully I can be in good form and help the team get out of the group.”
When Wales play well it is usually always because Ramsey and skipper Gareth Bale both deliver. The pair have an almost telepathic understanding on the pitch as they vividly illustrated at the last Euros when they combined to help beat Turkey 2-0 last summer to get out of their group.
Captain and record scorer Bale picked out Ramsey three times to run clear on goal in the first half as the midfielder went close twice before finally opening the scoring.
Now Wales’ deadly duo are aiming to thrive on the biggest stage of all when Rob Page's side open their Group B campaign against USA on Monday after representing their country together since they were teenagers.
Ramsey reflected: “I love having that opportunity to play with Baleo in this Wales shirt. We have grown up together, we've been through all different age groups and things like that so we understand each other and we just try to go out there and try to represent our country as best as we can.
“We try to help as much as we can individually and as a team to try and achieve our goals. It's just a joy to play with him and be a part of this with him."
Together the pair have helped Wales reach successive Euros but inspiring the nation to their first World Cup since 1958 has always been the biggest goal.
Now as the countdown to Wales’ first game gets closer, the excitement and anticipation is palpable. Ramsey, who was made skipper aged 20 in the late Gary Speed’s first game as boss in 2011, added: “None of us have experienced a World Cup before so this is going to be different altogether.
"We have got a few tournaments that we have been a part of and we can take certain experiences from to help us and take it all in.
“The reality is we are a small nation and we are up against giants of world football. But we are always going to be trying to compete with the best teams. We have certainly shown we are capable of doing that over the last few years.
“When Gary Speed first came in, one of the targets was to qualify for that World Cup. We didn't manage to do so under him but this makes it even more special that we have actually gone on to do that now.”
