Adrian Mutu, the former Chelsea forward, has revealed a striking new look following a recent hair transplant, drawing comparisons to Mauricio Pochettino.
Mutu, who was one of Chelsea’s initial signings under Roman Abramovich in 2003, shared before-and-after photos of his hair transplant on Instagram. Once known for his shaved head during his time at Stamford Bridge, the 45-year-old now boasts a full head of hair.
In his Instagram post, Mutu expressed his satisfaction with the results, thanking Dr. Emrah Cinik, who performed the procedure. “After 5 months, I’m very happy with the result,” Mutu wrote, highlighting his new appearance amidst a trend of bald or short-haired managers.
Dr. Cinik, based in Turkey, has worked with several former footballers, including ex-Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand and former Barcelona forward Ludovic Giuly.
Mutu joined Chelsea from Parma in 2003 and made an immediate impact, scoring 10 goals in his first season. However, his career at Chelsea was cut short when he tested positive for cocaine, leading to a football ban.
Following his dismissal, Chelsea sought compensation from Mutu for breach of contract, resulting in a legal battle that saw Mutu ordered to pay millions. In 2009, he was instructed to pay £15.2 million to the club, a sum determined by FIFA in 2008 based on the length of his contract and lost earnings.
After leaving Chelsea in 2005, Mutu continued his career in Italy with Juventus and Fiorentina, and also played in France and India. He later moved into management, primarily in Romania. His most recent role was with CFR Cluj during the 2023-24 season, though he left the position after a few months.
Near the end of his playing career, Mutu criticized Jose Mourinho, his former manager at Chelsea. In a 2015 interview with Mirror Football, Mutu described Mourinho as “fake” and said he was only concerned with himself. “He has been a great coach in the past, but as a person, he is fake,” Mutu claimed. “You could not go and talk to him. As a coach, he is finished.”