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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Morgan Ofori

More than a hairstyle: how locs at the World Cup have changed perceptions of Black hair on the global stage

A collage showing footballers Eberechi Eze, Antoine Semenyo, Henrik Larsson, Nico Williams and Ruud Gullit in national jerseys
New era … clockwise from top left, Eberechi Eze of England, Antoine Semenyo of Ghana, Henrik Larsson of Sweden, Nico Williams of Spain and Ruud Gullit of the Netherlands. Photograph: Maddie Meyer/FIFA/Getty/Shutterstock

At the World Cup this summer locs, or what are commonly known as “dreadlocks”, have become as ubiquitous as free kicks. Defenders pin theirs back for clear sight-lines; forwards loosen and shape theirs for the cameras.

Antoine Semenyo of Ghana paired his with a sharp undercut. Spain’s Nico Williams bleaches his tips. Belgium winger Jeremy Doku has a mix of blond tinted tips, cornrowed. England’s Eberechi Eze has a variant styled into cornrows, while his former Crystal Palace teammate (and soon to be similarly gutted opponent in Saturday’s third-place “bronze” play-off) France’s Michael Olise opts for a slickly styled taper fade, a technique that emphasises the volume of the locs on top. Manu Koné, also of Les Bleus, has sported braided locs, while Switzerland’s attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi has gone for jumbo locs in combination with rope-like, protective Senegalese twists.

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