Sports
Man United’s results have forced this fan to grow hair for a full year in viral challenge
Day 1. Day 10. Day 50. Day 100. Day 365?!
The past year has been tough on all Manchester United fans, but for Frank Illet, it really shows. Illet set himself a quirky challenge last October: he wouldn’t cut his hair until his beloved Red Devils won five games in a row.
“I thought it would only go for a few months and be a bit of a laugh,” Illet told ESPN. “It was something to spread humor to Man United fans during a difficult period of time.
“It didn’t feel unrealistic then, because the season before, they had won five games in a row.”
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At the time, United were still managed by Erik Ten Hag and had ended the previous season by winning the FA Cup final against Manchester City. Illet thought that it would be the perfect time to try out the challenge, despite all of the false dawns and inconsistent form the club have managed in recent years.
The 29-year-old boyhood United fan from the U.K. now living in Spain, started the challenge after a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. He expected a five-win streak to come quickly. Instead, 77 games across all competitions and a change of manager later, it still hasn’t happened. In fact, the most Illet has been able to see in the past year were three wins in a row when Man United beat Rangers, Fulham, and FCSB in late January under current boss Ruben Amorim.
For context, Liverpool — the defending Premier League champions and United’s bitter rivals — have already won five games in a row this season in just over a month (33 days to be exact).
What began with a clean-shaven Illet has turned into a viral spectacle: a bush of hair growing longer and higher with every passing day and every dropped point.
His daily social media updates to more than 700,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok — counting up the days since his last haircut, whether United played that day or not — have turned him into a cult figure and a living, growing monument embodiment of the club’s travails.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and the thing is, the sheer amount of it takes so much out of my time,” he said. “The washing, the brushing, the drying, everything takes so much longer than I’m used to.”
Illet’s mood has mirrored United’s fortunes. He was in the stands at Old Trafford to watch his team beat Chelsea 2-1 earlier this season, only to then see them lose 3-1 at Brentford a week later.
Add in the humiliation of a shock Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Grimsby Town, and even his optimism has started to fray.
“I’ve tried to keep positive, I’ve tried to keep optimistic,” he said. “But that was the moment where I thought that I couldn’t find a positive and keep pretending that something would happen.”
The reaction has not been universally positive. Police are investigating an incident at the Chelsea game in which one fan grabbed Illet’s hair aggressively and appeared to hurl abuse at him. “It was all a bit weird to be honest,” Illet said at the time. “I will always try to focus on the positives and hope that this was just a one-off.”
Despite United’s continuing on-pitch woes, Illet isn’t calling for Amorim to go. While reports swirl about the Portuguese coach’s future, he believes performances haven’t been as dire as results suggest.
“I don’t think changing the manager is certainly the answer,” he said. “I understand completely that people are saying that they want him out because they’re saying the most important thing in football is results.
“I do think there are some positives. We’ve had the most expected goals and shots in the league. There are a few things like that where a few of those goals go in, and we have completely different conversations. I think in the short term, we need good results immediately.”
With more than 30 Premier League games left this season, plus the FA Cup still to come, Illet hasn’t given up hope for his hair.
“We’ll find out together how much longer it can go,” he said with a laugh.
For now, United don’t have a five-game winning streak, though they have just begun a new run following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Sunderland. But Illet’s hair? That’s just about the only thing that has been going strong all year for anyone associated with Manchester United.
Real Madrid have their eye on Arsenal‘s Gabriel Magalhães, and Chelsea remain keen on Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers.
Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
Transfers home page | Men’s winter grades | Women’s grades
TRENDING RUMORS
– Real Madrid have made an enquiry about Arsenal center back Gabriel Magalhães, according to TeamTalk. The Premier League leaders quickly informedMadrid that the 28-year-old is not available at any price. Gabriel signed a long-term contract extension last summer. Having also secured deals to extend the stays of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, Arsenal are reportedly determined to show that even a club as big as Madrid can’t take their top players.
– Chelsea remain confident that they can sign Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers despite the Villans stating that only an extraordinary offer would tempt them into even considering letting him go, reports TeamTalk. That figure will likely have to be over the £100 million Villa received from Manchester City for Jack Grealish in 2021. Chelsea have held a long-term interest in the 23-year-old, with their co-director of recruitment, Joe Shields, the person who originally took Rogers to City while leading the Citizens’ youth signings.
– Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are likely to face competition from Inter Milan to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka in the summer, reports CF Bayern Insider. Bayer Leverkusen are also keen on the 31-year-old, who will be a free agent with his contract in Bavaria expiring at the end of this season. Arsenal had tried to sign Goretzka in January, but the Germany international had already given Bayern his word that he would stay until the end of the campaign.
– Manchester United are closely monitoring the situation of Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye, as reported by Footmercato. The 27-year-old’s reputation has grown since he scored the winner against Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final, and he is also a key player for Villarreal. The World Cup offers Gueye another opportunity to impress on a big stage, yet he has already attracted plenty of interest, particularly from United who are looking to replace Casemiro following the announcement that the Brazilian will be leaving Old Trafford.
– Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford have all made checks on Eintracht Frankfurt right-back Nnamdi Collins, according to TeamTalk. Arsenal, in particular, are impressed by the 22-year-old and see similarities to Ben White, although Frankfurt have a strong negotiating position as Collins’ contract runs until 2030. Fellow Frankfurt full-back Nathaniel Brown has also been heavily scouted with Manchester United having looked at the 22-year-old.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden takes a look at the club’s key transfer questions, including which striker they should sign:
Barça should sign a Kylian Mbappé or a Harry Kane, but they also should sign a center back, a fullback and a holding midfielder, probably another winger as well, so where will they streamline their spending? I would lean toward a center back.
But if it’s a striker, Julián Álvarez is well-liked within the club’s hierarchy. However, his recent form — no goals in 11 games before scoring against Barça last week — has raised doubts. Also, the fee Atlético would want for him is prohibitive — Barça sources have told ESPN they want well over €100 million. There is also no guarantee he would score more than Ferran Torres, who actually has five more league goals than Álvarez this season in 300 fewer minutes.
In that sense, Dusan Vlahovic could work as a free shot considering he will be out of contract this summer at Juventus, even if he would not excite supporters. Given how the market is and how much can change, I would advise Barça to sit tight for now and prioritise other areas until they can afford a proper investment in a striker.
OTHER RUMORS
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– Brighton could drop their valuation for Carlos Beleba from over £100 million to around £70 million amid interest from Manchester United. (TEAMtalk)
– Casemiro wants to continue playing in Europe when he leaves Manchester United, with Italy being flagged as a possible destination for the midfielder. (The Sun)
– Manchester City and Arsenal are closely monitoring versatile Brighton midfielder Jack Hinshelwood. (Caught Offside)
– Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have all closely watched 18-year-old Ajax midfielder Sean Steur in recent weeks. (TEAMtalk)
– Marcus Thuram could leave Inter Milan during the summer transfer window. (Nicolo Schira)
– Several foreign clubs have approached Marc Casado, but the midfielder is getting closer to extending his contract with Barcelona. (Nicolo Schira)
– Atletico Madrid have included Borussia Dortmund striker Fabio Silva on their shortlist of possible replacements for Julián Alvarez if the 26-year-old leaves in the summer. (Rudy Galetti)
– Tottenham want to move for Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the summer as they prepare to lose Guglielmo Vicario. (Football Insider)
– Crystal Palace view signing a replacement for Marc Guéhi as a priority during the summer transfer window. (The Standard)
– Premier League and top European clubs are tracking Brentford goalkeeper Matthew Cox‘s impressive form on loan at Shrewsbury Town. (Football Insider)
Unbeaten South Africa national cricket team will take on the West Indies cricket team today (Thursday) in a high-stakes Super Eight match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The encounter, scheduled to begin at 2:30pm in Ahmedabad, India, carries significant semi-final implications for both sides.
Semi-Final Race Intensifies
The West Indies head into the contest brimming with confidence after a commanding 107-run victory over Zimbabwe earlier this week.
However, with a crucial final Super Eight fixture against India on Sunday, the Caribbean side must secure a win today to strengthen their chances of advancing.
South Africa, meanwhile, are in a strong position. A victory in this match would virtually seal their place in the semi-finals, barring an unlikely sequence of results in the group.
The Proteas are coming off an impressive win over India, where their middle-order batsmen delivered under pressure to post a competitive total.
Fireworks Expected
Both teams have displayed an aggressive brand of cricket throughout the tournament, making today’s clash one of the most anticipated matches of the Super Eight stage.
With power-hitters on both sides and high stakes attached, fans can expect a thrilling contest as the race for the semi-finals gathers pace.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said the relentless criticism aimed at his players has been damaging to their mental health and undermined their efforts at the Twenty20 World Cup, where they were eliminated from the group stage on Wednesday.
The tournament co-hosts drew heavy flak from fans and pundits for their shaky buildup to the World Cup, which included losing five of six limited-overs matches to England.
The 2014 champions suffered a second successive Super Eights defeat on Wednesday, with New Zealand scoring a comprehensive victory to knock them out of the tournament.
Shanaka apologised to fans after their “embarrassing” performance but also felt an atmosphere of negativity had reached an extent where the authorities must intervene.
“No matter how we as cricketers try to stay positive, there is negativity outside,” Shanaka told reporters after their defeat in Colombo.
“We will play and leave, but for the players who will come in the future, if the government can even stop it, that’s better for their mental health.”
Chasing 169 for victory, Sri Lanka were 46-5 in the 11th over and never looked like recovering.
“Honestly, we are very sorry for what happened. No one goes out there to fail, everyone goes with the intention of playing well and winning for the team,” said Shanaka.
Losing the services of three key bowlers — Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana and Ehsan Malinga — through injuries was a major setback.
“You’ve also got to make fitness a non-negotiable,” he said.
“When you have the number of injuries we’ve had, it’s hard to get a good outcome.
“Your fitness level influences your injuries. There are some players who can’t even get into the team because of fitness issues. That’s something we’ve talked about a lot over several World Cups now,” he added.
Former captain Kumar Sangakkara said Sri Lanka were in danger of becoming irrelevant in the cricket world.
“There is a lot of work to be done at all levels to course correct,” he wrote on X.
“We can’t do the same things over and over and expect different results when the cricket world around us has evolved so quickly. We haven’t adapted and the danger is irrelevance.”
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