‘Who is this?’ – Champions League winner stuns fans with unrecognisable new look

Mateo Kovacic left fans stunned with his long-hair look as he shared an injury update on social media.

The Manchester City midfielder has been out of action for the majority of the season, with injuries restricting him to just two cameo appearances this term.

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Kovacic underwent surgery on his Achilles ahead of the Club World Cup last summer, before making a comeback in October.

He then featured off the bench against Everton and Villareal in the Champions League, before suffering another setback.

The Croatian felt discomfort in his Achilles and has since gone under the knife for a second time, with Pep Guardiola later revealing he had also suffered an ankle problem.

But Kovacic finally had some good news to share on Tuesday, as he took to social media to give fans a positive update.

Sharing a picture of himself back at Man City’s training ground, the star’s injured leg could be seen all strapped up.

He captioned it: “Happy to be back at club camp.”

‘Where’s Kovacic?’

But Kovacic’s message wasn’t the biggest talking point online.

Fans were left shocked by his appearance, as he was pictured sporting a new hairstyle.

Throughout his career, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid star has tended to stick to a short back and sides trim.

However, he has clearly been working on a different look away from the pitch, as his latest post showed him with long, wavy hair.

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This sparked plenty of reaction, with many users flocking online to share their surprise.

Taking to X, one simply wrote: “Bro who is this?”

Another stunned fan said: “That is NOT Kovacic.”

A third added: “WHERE HAS THIS BEAUTIFUL HAIR BEEN????”

One even claimed Kovacic had a lookalike in the showbiz world, commenting: “That’s Cillian Murphy, where is Kovacic?”

How long is Mateo Kovacic out for?

City boss Pep Guardiola revealed in October that Kovacic faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.

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Speaking after City’s Champions League win over Villarreal in October, the Spaniard said: “He will be out for a while.

“He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. 

“We’ll wait on him for the last part of the season.”

Both City and Kovacic will be hoping he can make a full recovery in time for the season’s run-in.

Since joining the Citizens in 2023, he has established himself as one of their key players, making 90 appearances altogether across two seasons, and winning the Premier League in his debut year.

And with the 2026 World Cup coming at the end of the current campaign in June, the 31-year-old is targeting a comeback that would see him feature in an eight major tournament with his country.

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And Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic recently shared his hopes that Kovacic will be return in time to feature in the March internationals.

Speaking last month, Dalic said: “We believe he’ll be with us at the World Cup.

“I’d like him to be back in March. It must be tough for him. The injury and the surgery are taking a psychological toll on him. I hope Kovacic gets through it all.”

Kovacic has enjoyed huge success during his stellar career, winning three Champions League titles with Real Madrid and one with Chelsea.