You have been a hairdresser in Marseille for twenty years, and it was the former Marseille native Adil Rami who called on you in Russia, during the 2018 World Cup: how did you know him?
I was doing a lot of communication videos, showing how to trim and shave beards. It was delirium. And one day, I get a message on WhatsApp. I was focused on what I was doing, on the model I was dealing with that day. I say : “Look please, who is he? And he said to me:But it’s an Adil Rummy!”. I say : “But calm down, who is Adil Rami?” “You don’t know Adil Rami?”. I didn’t know who it was, I didn’t know football. I tell him : “it’s ok, tell him he’ll come by if he wants, I’ll cut his hair at the studio“. And there he said: “Yeah, it’s complicated today, I can’t come”. And finally, I received it in my living room, boulevard National. He came and we did the “Moustache” project. It was that day, and it went from there. There was a good feeling. It went well between us and since then he has become a friend. It is no longer OM’s sporting client.
When was that?
It was before the World Cup. He was at OM. One day, we actually installed an armchair at the Commanderie. I took care of him the evenings when he slept there because there were days when he slept there (the day before matches, editor’s note). I was cutting him and his co-workers.
And how did you end up in Russia?
It was a surprise, for me. When he called me, I wasn’t well. I said to myself : “Oh my, what is Adil doing to me? I do not want“. Because at the show, I had a lot of people. I tried to dodge a bit, but it didn’t work. I had to, I went (laughs).
The World Cup had already started, when he called you?
Yes. He asks me if I can come. First, I tell him no. I had done a competition where I had met a Russian hairdresser. I told him : “Go ahead Adil, I’ll send you the Russian (…) he comes, he takes care of you, there’s no problem”. He tells me : “Go ahead okay And suddenly, indeed, I sent the Russian, he left. But there, he calls me. He says to me: “No Mehdi, it’s not going well with the Russian, you have to come, you”. And then we got organized. There were the families who left, in Russia (…) I embarked with the families”.
– Yuri Cortez
When he called me, I browned. I said to myself: it’s not my thing, what am I going to do there? Why is he doing this to me, Adil? I had to cancel all week. I had reservations for three weeks. I said to myself: where am I going to stall them? I had to cancel all the appointments (…) But it’s my friend. He was texting me and everything. He put me in touch with his sister.
And the passport, was it up to date?
I had my passport (laughs), but it was expired ! And there, I don’t know what they did. They managed, they gave me my papers. And I left. I tried to dodge all that, but hey: it didn’t work! We left Paris. I left with my scissors, my clipper, my kit, all my equipment. We stayed for five days.
And there, how did it go?
I found myself in the hallway where all the players were. I had a room. And there was a spare room. They installed lights for me, better than my living room today! Because for hairdressing, you still need light. I created a “hairdressing salon” universe.
And who did you do?
Olivier Giroud, Lucas Hernandez, Florian Thauvin, Adil. After that, I don’t know everyone. I only knew Rami, and Giroud too, because I had cut his hair at Clairefontaine (…) I also cut Raphaël Varane. But I didn’t know who Varane was. My son said to me:It’s Varana!”. I tell him : “Calm down, explain to Me”. Varane, when I cut his hair, I said to myself: “He’s so shy, it must be a young kid starting out.” And afterwards, my son explained to me who it was, and that Varane was a big deal (laughs).
The players asked you what, as a hairstyle?
Well, they were aware that it was not just any hairdresser who was there (laughs). They asked for fades: American fades, shaved or not too shaved. Afterwards, I was more into consulting compared to the experience I have. For instance, you have players who are doing things that are wrong.
Have you changed any cuts?
The big change I made there was with Florian Thauvin. In Marseille, I cut his hair all the time, at his place. He was doing gradients. It was shaved, very shaved behind. It didn’t suit him at all. It did not stick to his hair and his head. So, I was on the board, and we did something very good, magnificent. We changed the cut.
– Benjamin Cremel
Adil Rami asked what haircut?
I’m used to her haircut, we did low layers. So we weren’t creating. His cut was already made. Giroud the same, it’s refined, it’s not the gradients there…. shaved gradients.
Is the haircut very important for footballers?
I think so, it is important. It’s the picture. Afterwards, they go on TV, everyone sees that.
And how did it feel to be by their side?
I realized that was something huge. At the beginning, I thought a lot about my living room, because there were a lot of people. But at some point, I thought to myself:Oh there, there, there, I’m still having an experience, there” (laugh). I realized it one evening, we were eating. Around the table was Mandanda. And I didn’t know him. I asked him the question:so you play too? They were all bursting out laughing. And I felt a little offended. Adil said to him: “Well yeah, he doesn’t know”.
– sputnik
How was the atmosphere there?
Everyone was laughing. It is very good. Adil, he laughs all the time. He hooks everyone up. In addition, there were families. They were all happy. I remember when I was at the stadium, they gave me a jersey. I went to watch a game, but I don’t remember which one. I think it was France – Peru. I think, because I have Adil’s shirt with “France – Peru” written on it. (laughs). They are really very simple. It’s not like what we hear.
Did you have more pressure than in the living room?
At all ! I was shaking when I passed the world champion contest. It was impressive, but not that. It was normal for me. It was nothing. It was meeting people. It didn’t impress me, not at all. And I didn’t just cut the players, I also cut the security guards.
And the players who didn’t know you couldn’t pass through your hands?
At first, Lucas Hernandez, he was scared. He was waiting for me. He was stressed. It made me feel weird. When he settled into my chair, I quickly calmed him down. We started to sympathize a bit and everything went very well.
And Didier Deschamps, he had his hair cut too?
Well no. In fact, Adil called me one day, he said: “Yeah, there’s the coach who wants to cut his hair.” But then he called me back and said, “he can not. He left”. So, he didn’t. He did not cut his hair throughout the competition. He didn’t have time. He was under stress.
In your opinion, haircuts influence young people, society?
I think so. Everyone watches football. It’s a religion, football. People here after. In the living room, I have little ones, many little ones: “Make me like Thauvin, etc”. And not only the little ones, there are also big ones who are crazy about the ball, about football. Fans of the players. It’s incredible.
– Frank Fife
Do you feel like you were part of the adventure, of the Blues World Cup?
Yes, I lived there for a while, anyway. I remember all that. And I say to myself: it is this team, all these people, who brought back the World Cup. This is something I understood afterwards. There are still emotions.
Did this help you?
Yes, I can’t believe it, actually. My Instagram, it was already good. But he went up, something crazy. It was like the water meter. I got a lot of subscribers. It has grown to 80,000 subscribers. I remember, my collaborator said: ” But it’s not going to stop.” Journalist From the team, the channel, The team.
I found myself talking with journalists. Adil had given my contact. A similar journalist from Paris on the way back. I found myself in a world that was not mine. My world is hairdressing, hairdressing evenings, shows.
And you had more customers when you got back?
Yes, many, many. And there too, I understood that it was a crazy thing what had happened! And you know that apparently the players touched Adil’s mustache before playing: it brought good luck. The players, they touched Adil’s mustache. So yes, I am world champion, because I made it.