Tom Huddlestone's Haircut: A Story in Pictures of Hull City Man's Transformation
Tom Huddlestone's first goal in 32 months meant two things.
First: Hull City hammered Fulham 6-0 rather than merely 5-0.
Second: Huddlestone had to have a haircut.
The midfielder had vowed to grow his hair until he hit the back of the net, and little did he know he'd have to wait quite so long.
His goal celebration, featuring a trim on the touchline, became such a talking point that Hull City decided to live-tweet his haircut. It may be the first time this has happened, so we could hardly let it pass.
In the picture slots on top we'll bring you the backwards evolution of Huddlestone's hair, right back to his Spurs days. In the bottom slots are the scenes as his hair transforms.
Here are—and given the subject of the piece we make no apologies for this pun—the highlights.
The Pre-Cut Interview (Yes, Really)
The pre-cut interview is now a thing, apparently:
Pre-Cut Int with @Huddz: "It's my first haircut in quite a while - I'm more nervous than I am before a game!" #UTTpic.twitter.com/WgIZnn8Foz
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
Twitter Demands a 'Mr T'
An early prediction, or a red herring?
When quizzed on what his new style would be, @Huddz8 replied: "The main request on twitter was for a Mr T style cut." #UTT
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The Mohawk Liveliness Scale
Huddlestone clarifies that on the mohawk liveliness scale, his will be—whilst lively—less lively than Mr T's.
Hence the infographic.
TH: "It will be some form of mohican - just nowhere near as lively as Mr T's." #ByeByehuddlefro #UTT
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The Tedious Barbershop Small Talk
"So, Tom, got any plans for the holidays?"
The main event has begun... #ByeByeHuddlefro #UTT pic.twitter.com/GY7HXlBhzA
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The Dawning Realisation
"Yikes. It might have been a bit more private to just, y'know, have gone to the barbers."
How happy does @Huddz8 look to be finally having his #huddlefro cut? #UTT pic.twitter.com/alGuvCNIvL
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The Teammate Watching You Turn into a Simpsons Character
Your teammates are watching, tweeting—and ignoring just how much that hair looks like Krusty the Clown's...
3 hours in, half way there now pic.twitter.com/scuDPwOkTB
— Jake Livermore (@29_JL) January 2, 2014
The Embarrassing Shoes of Solidarity
Still, to make sure that Huddlestone wasn't hogging all the attention, Jake Livermore wore this on his feet:
Fair play to @29_JL - he even turned up wearing these trainers! #BraveMan #UTT pic.twitter.com/hYUhCR8ycI
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The Discovery
Wait a second—there's a human being under there!
It's starting to take shape - not long left... #huddlefro#UTTpic.twitter.com/CZlo5TbleI
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The 'Is This Really Happening?' Moment
As the haircut continues, the Hull City account has an existential moment:
Is this the most talked about haircut ever? #huddlefro #UTT pic.twitter.com/Ch0GDDKtpE
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
It's right up there with that flick thing Rachel from "Friends" had.
Yes, that's right.
Jennifer Aniston. Tom Huddlestone.
The 'That's Better'
It's an improvement. Now if you were a young lady you could take him home to meet your parents.
Even Jennifer Aniston's parents.
Done and Dusted - @Huddz8's #huddlefro has become a #huddlehawk #UTT pic.twitter.com/7Rm76HUPva
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The Final Product
Spare a thought for Tom Huddlestone's private barber, who hasn't had a job in years as the goal drought continued.
The most anticipated haircut in world football has finally been completed! #huddlehawk #UTT pic.twitter.com/YlhnHlRii3
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
The Good Cause Behind It All
Most importantly, however, the initiative was all for a good cause. Huddlestone has been raising money for charity since vowing not to cut his hair again until he scored.
As silly as all of it is, the net effect is £36,000k and counting toward Huddlestone's chosen charity, Cancer Research. Follow the links below if you'd like to donate.
And you can still buy a bit of his hair on eBay. Why? Because it's the 21st century, and if you want a footballer's hair, you can actually purchase it. That's why.
We mustn't forget that @Huddz8 has been raising money for @CR_UK over the last two and a half years #FantasticEffort #Proud #UTT
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014
.@Huddz8's charity drive has so far raised over £36,000 for @CR_UK -there's still time to donate at http://t.co/1w1Unwqzcc #UTT
— Hull City Official (@hullcityteam) January 2, 2014