‘It’s all connected’: The barbers behind your favourite athletes’ success

A haircut is one thing that athletes can control, an expression of their identity wherever and whenever they play. (Photo Illustration by Leah Abucayan/CNN/Vince Garcia/Ahmed Alsanawi via CNN Newsource)

“If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good.”

This was a phrase coined and made famous by iconic Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders during his time in the NFL throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Two decades later and those words still ring true for professional athletes around the world, on and off the field.

But while many athletes are restricted by having to wear their uniforms during games, one source of individual style while in action comes in the form of a haircut.

If Coach Prime’s saying holds up, barbers are now an essential part of keeping sporting stars at the top of their game.

‘You gotta have dope barbers’

The life of an athlete can be chaotic. With regular time spent away from home, trips overseas and the risk of being traded anywhere, there aren’t many constants.

A haircut, however, is one thing that athletes can control, an expression of their identity wherever and whenever they play.

When former NBA player Jalen Rose was starring in one of college basketball’s most iconic teams, his haircut was representative of what he wanted to deliver on the court.

“The bald head was symbolic about mean-mugging, being rough and tough – that was the style then. I don’t even care about getting a fresh cut because I’m on my grizzly right now,” Rose tells CNN Sports.

The Michigan Wolverines team Rose played with – known as the Fab Five – all sported similar hairstyles during their time in college to represent that attitude on the court.

Rose was drafted to the NBA in 1994 and said he didn’t care about having a fresh trim during these early years – he was too busy trying to forge a name for himself in the league.

But as his career continued, the 13-year NBA veteran bought into the look good, feel good, play good mantra. Searching for barbers across America became more important.

“I guess the magic of the fresh cut is, just like any great team, you gotta have dope barbers,” Rose says.

“So it’s no different than identifying talent in whatever field that you are working in or service industry … you can identify people that do really good at their job.”

Finding what Rose refers to as a “game-changing barber” has become an imperative for some modern athletes. Like the former NBA vet, many of today’s sports stars have a reliable network of people to cut their hair.

Barbers to the stars

One such barbers in today’s scene is Los Angeles-based Vince Garcia, who is responsible for the hairstyles of some of the biggest athletes in the world.

Garcia now boasts a client list that features the likes of seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant to name a few.

It would almost be impossible for Garcia to count the total number of rings and championships that his clients have earned. But does this add pressure to his job?

“I think from outsiders looking in, it may seem like that, but when it comes down to it, it’s like they’re in my zone now, they’re in my world. So, if anything, they’re probably more nervous if it’s their first time,” Garcia tells CNN Sports from his home studio, surrounded by signed jerseys from some of his biggest clients.

“Meeting them is more nerve-wracking, but the moment they’re in the chair, it’s like, ‘Man, let’s do it.’”

Putting together a clientele of this caliber, however, is built upon years of earning a reputation in sporting circles.

Garcia hails from Toronto, Canada, and when one of his friends was putting together a photoshoot, he called upon Garcia to help get the talent ready, including then Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh.

While Garcia only fixed up Bosh’s goatee and lined his hair up on this occasion, the two-time NBA champion “loved it.”

“And then I ended up cutting before every single game and we were able to build a relationship off that,” Garcia explains.

At this point in his career – and as a huge sports fan – Garcia reveled in the perks of barbering for a sports star and realized that Los Angeles was the place to be to expand his influence.

“As soon as I touched down here, one of my goals was to cut up someone from the Lakers,” Garcia said. “And then two weeks in, I found my way in the locker room.”

Word of mouth is one of the biggest ways a barber’s influence can spread and, as players got traded to various franchises, knowledge of Garcia’s talents gained traction in different locker rooms – and across different sports – around the country.

Word of mouth also played a key role in the rise of UK-based barber Ahmed Alsanawi – known as A-Star.

Alsanawi works mainly with professional soccer players and cuts hair for the likes of Jack Grealish, Paul Pogba and Eden Hazard.

As his work has became increasingly known around soccer circles, so too did the opportunities – including being among the victorious World Cup-winning France squad in 2018.

‘A crazy time’

France’s 2018 World Cup squad was full of skill, charisma and character, boasting stars such as Pogba, Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann.

Alsanawi was flown over to Russia and tasked with keeping some members of the Les Bleus looking their best throughout the tournament.

“I felt like a player because I was eating with the team. I was outside watching them train … You felt like you were part of whatever they were doing in a weird way,” Alsanawi describes to CNN Sports.

Pogba even told the barber that he dedicated the incredible World Cup win to him.

“I was like, ‘Wow, this is mad – I’m just a barber.’ It was a nice feeling, it was a crazy, crazy time. Looking back at it, it is one of the biggest things, biggest achievements I’ve done.”

These pinch-me moments are becoming more and more normal for Garcia and Alsanawi.

Garcia references the time he cut LeBron James’ hair before the record point-scorer’s debut with the Lakers as a career highlight.

He now also features on the television show “The Shop” alongside James, as well as various stars from different professions.

And the Lakers star isn’t Garcia’s only link to the Purple and Gold; he fondly remembers being in the same room as Kobe Bryant, talking about life and family.

‘It’s all connected’

But is there a correlation between a fresh cut and sporting performance? Like Rose, Alsanawi certainly believes so.

“People really underestimate the power of a haircut because it does really give you confidence,” he says.

“Nowadays, I’m talking about footballers who wear certain football boots, or they cut their socks a certain way, or they have strapping they do certain ways that people go, ‘Oh, back in the day you just put your socks on and just got on with it.’

“But if that’s the confidence or the feeling they’re getting, it does help them play better.”

Garcia also is a big believer in the look good, feel good, play good mantra.

“100%, I think I live by that,” Garcia says. “I think a lot of these guys do as well.

“I think, over the years, having a barber and just looking good on and off the field, it plays a big role in their confidence and how they show up.”

Garcia takes pride in the fact that he can help some of the world’s most famous sports stars to be the best version of themselves on and off their playing field.

“It’s all connected and it’s cool to see that. I mean, for us as barbers, it’s a great thing. We’re a hot commodity,” he laughs.

‘More than just a barber’

Being a barber to sporting celebrities can also help leave your imprint on the next generation.

Víctor Martínez, barber to six-time grand slam winner Carlos Alcaraz, explains that the tennis star’s influence is being felt in his hometown.

“People want to come because I cut Carlos’ hair,” Martínez tells CNN Sport. “People come to the shop asking for ‘The Carlos haircut.’ Lots of kids, his fans.”

And for Alsanawi and Garcia, it is also not just about keeping their clients looking at their best.

The pair’s work extends past cutting hair. For many athletes they work with, they now have special, personal relationships and offer a safe space outside of the public eye.

Garcia explains that, as he has gotten older, he has learned to understand that it is about being “more than just a barber.”

“You’ll get into serious conversations about life and family and kids, which becomes cool, because you guys have that personal relationship now,” Garcia says.

“I think from that, obviously, it builds a lot more trust, and you’re able to be in certain rooms now because they trust you.”

The same applies to Alsanawi when he’s with his clients.

“They keep themselves to themselves, so they don’t talk to a lot of people,” Alsanawi said. “They don’t trust a lot of people, for obvious reasons … It’s nice to talk to someone that you know and trust.

“What do I say to them? ‘I’m like a counselor. I cut your hair and I listen to your problems or whatever, and then obviously you listen to my problems.’ And it’s just nice to get it off your chest.”

For many involved in sports’ biggest occasions, the value in a haircut and finding the right person to do it clearly cannot be understated.