Finn Surman says a March 2023 haircut helped shift how he was seen as a defender. The All Whites defender says the change did not alter who he was, but it nudged both his own mindset and other people’s first read of him.
“Honestly yes - I would say yes, a little bit,” Surman said when asked whether the haircut correlated with his rise. He walked into House of Handsome in Kilbirnie in March 2023 and asked Dali for a number two, then described the moment with one line: “Mate, it’s time.”
House of Handsome in Kilbirnie
Surman said he had talked to Dali about the haircut before, and that he always wanted to go short on his hair but never did. The decision came after repeated advice from others, which he described as the last straw. “I can’t really remember the origin of it,” he said.
He also gave the practical reason plainly: “It was pretty long - it did get in the way. I don’t know if it is about getting taken seriously but it just looks a lot more serious when you have a sharper haircut or short hair.” That matches how he wants to be viewed now. “I want to be a player that’s relied upon to be able to defend well,” he said.
Finn Surman and Giancarlo Italiano
Giancarlo Italiano has described Surman as “old fashioned... in a good way,” and said he is “the kind of player that strikers hate.” He added that Surman reads the game well, is strong, and is tough. Those traits fit the role he is trying to own more fully, not just the haircut that may have sharpened the first impression.
Surman’s own view of his defending is more technical than cosmetic. “My biggest pet hate is defenders that aren’t good at defending,” he said. “I’ve always had the willingness to get in front of the ball,” and as he has gotten older, “I’ve learnt more about how to read what the attack is going to do.”
All Whites rise
The haircut story sits inside a bigger rise that has taken place over the last three years. Surman said there is a correlation between having his locks shorn and his progress, from a fringe Wellington Phoenix player to a starting All White by June 2023. He said, “When I cut it, [it] wasn’t like I could change my persona as such - but it does put a little bit in your mind. And maybe it puts something in someone else’s mind as well if they see me with a skinhead, they’re going to think something different, as opposed to if I have long hair.”
That idea carried into last Sunday in Florida, where he made numerous blocks and crosses in the England match. The small reset in March 2023 did not create the defender he is now, but it lined up with the version of him that has been easier to notice: short hair, a sharper edge, and a reputation built on stopping attacks rather than joining them.
