The England squad is frantically making its final preparations before jetting off to this month's Euros and, for many Three Lions stars, this includes making sure their hairlines are looking trim as they step out onto the pitch.
Ahmed Alsanawi is the barber selected for the crucial task and will travel around Germany with the team to top up the haircuts of players including Jack Grealish and Phil Foden.
The father-of-three will be on hand throughout the tournament to perfect the footballers' fades, buzz cuts and highlights so they look good when England, hopefully, lift the trophy next month.
The busiest times for the hairdresser are expected to be the night before matches with many of Gareth Southgate's young stars reportedly fixated on getting a trim ahead of a big fixture.
While this may seem excessive, the experienced manager knows better than to meddle with the talented side's pre-match rituals and told GQ magazine last week: 'If I'm going to start interfering with that, we're in trouble.'
Jack Grealish getting a haircut from Ahmed Alsanawi. The father-of-three will be on hand throughout the tournament to perfect the footballers' fades, buzz cuts and highlights so they look good when England, hopefully, lift the trophy next month
Phil Foden's special fade being perfected by Alsanawi. The busiest times for the hairdresser are expected to be the night before matches with many of Gareth Southgate's young stars reportedly fixated on getting a trim ahead of a big fixture
Chelsea youngster Omari Hutchinson getting a skin fade
But Alsanawi did admit that he will draw the line if player's come to him for a last-minute haircut on matchday, revealing to The Times that England's hopefuls 'have to concentrate on getting in the zone' instead of on their trim.
Southgate's attention to detail during major tournaments is well documented, having hired sports psychologists and penalty experts in previous competitions, and the 33-year-old barber explained the value in having a specialist on site to keep the team's locks looking good.
He said: 'Footballers now are so particular about their look. If they feel good, they play better.'
Alsanawi was a keen player himself, spraying passes and making tackles around midfield, before he chose his current career.
The hairdresser used to play barefoot on the streets of Baghdad but, by the age of nine, he had arrived in New Malden, southwest London, after his father took his family to the UK after serving in the army in Iraq.
Alsanawi came to Britain speaking no English and left school at 16 to pursue his dream of becoming a top barber.
His big breakthrough happened in 2013 when he opened a shop outside Chelsea's ground Stamford Bridge and he was soon recruited by captain John Terry as the side's main trimmer.
Alsanawi now plies his trade at his A Star Barbers salon in Chessington, southwest London - a family business where his wife runs the books and his father sells coffee in an adjacent building.
Alsanawi (pictured) was a keen player himself, spraying passes and making tackles around midfield, before he chose his current career
The hairdresser used to play barefoot on the streets of Baghdad but, by the age of nine, he had arrived in New Malden, southwest London, after his father took his family to the UK after serving in the army in Iraq
Alsanawi's shop is packed to the brim with youngsters demanding fades, which involve tapering the hair so it looks like it gradually fades into the skin, and more specifically 'Grealishes' and 'Fodens' in an attempt to emulate their idols
The shop is packed to the brim with youngsters demanding fades, which involve tapering the hair so it looks like it gradually fades into the skin, and more specifically 'Grealishes' and 'Fodens' in an attempt to emulate their idols.
For those unfamiliar, the former involves an 'undercut with a long, slick back', while a Foden means 'a skin fade, short on top with a pattern on the side'.
Alsanawi charges £70 got a haircut and the evidence of his roaring success can be seen with his wife's grey Bentley often parked outside the salon.
His other recent high profile customers have included ex-Chelsea hero Eden Hazard, England winger Bukayo Saka and Chelsea star Reece James.
As for this summer's Euros, the barber, who boasts four million followers on TikTok, just wants England to succeed.
He said: 'I believe we're going to win it, personally - we've got a very good young team.'
For those unfamiliar, the former involves an 'undercut with a long, slick back', while a Foden means 'a skin fade, short on top with a pattern on the side'
Gareth Southgate's attention to detail during major tournaments is well documented and the 33-year-old barber explained the value in having a specialist on site to keep the team's locks looking good (pictured: Southgate with Foden in 2022)
England's campaign begins in just two weeks but Southgate's 30-man squad have already reported to a training camp and will hope for a chance to impress Southgate in pre-Euros friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James' Park in Newcastle on June 3 and Iceland at Wembley on June 7.
The deadline for cutting the squad down to a maximum of 26 players is June 7.
England begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on June 16, with Denmark and Slovenia also in their group.
