Rising Dutch Barber Styles Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr Stars in Surprise Austrian Encounter

Mousa Alnaji, originally from Zeeland (Netherlands), has styled football stars like Ronaldo (former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United), Sadio Mané (former Liverpool and Bayern Munich), João Felix (former Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Benfica and AC Milan) and Marcelo Brozovic (former Inter Milan). How did this young hairstylist manage to achieve this feat? "I’m of Palestinian origin and before coming to Axel eight years ago, I lived in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. I also have a lot of family in Saudi Arabia, including an uncle who holds a logistics position at Al-Nassr. When I opened my salon a year ago, he had already told me: ’We come to Europe for a training camp every year and you’ll be able to style our hair.’ I didn’t really believe it, because why would they bring a hairstylist from Axel for that?", he recounts.

He adds: "But a little over two weeks ago, he suddenly called me in the middle of the night to tell me that I was expected in Austria two days later." He immediately booked a ticket to Salzburg and rescheduled several appointments in his salon. "During the trip, I was really nervous, for the first time in my life. But I managed to change my mindset. I told myself: Mousa, you have to take this seriously, because this chance will only come once in your life," he continues. His uncle was waiting for him at the airport. Upon disembarking, he drove his nephew to the ultra-luxurious hotel where the club’s players and staff were staying. Then, he transformed his room into an improvised hair salon. Moussa first styles the right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam. "I styled him and ten minutes later, five or six players were waiting in my room. It was really incredible!" recounts the young hairstylist.

He also styled Ronaldo’s best friend, José Semedo (former Sporting Lisbon), who is a director at Al-Nassr. "He asked me how long I was staying. If I extended my stay by a day, I might be able to touch up Ronaldo’s beard just before the team’s departure for Portugal. And that’s what happened!" Moussa was stunned. He finds the Portuguese international vain, but also very relaxed. "Of course, Ronaldo is vain, but I also found him very relaxed. These players are, after all, human beings like the rest of us, but it was still very special. I only knew them from television," he marvels.

Mousa offered his services to fifteen players as well as members of the club’s staff. Afterwards, he was able to attend a friendly match. Since then, his hair salon located on Kerkdreef in Axel is decorated with photos of him with famous footballers. He is already thinking about the next training camp of the Saudi club in Europe.