The Premier League icon is unrecognizable without the famous ponytail as it was handed a FIVE-YEAR ban over a fake coaching license

A PREMIER League icon has been rocked by a five-year suspension – while you might be shocked by his change in appearance.

The 51-year-old will be barred from participating in ANY football-related activity until 2028 after being fined for a fake coaching certificate.

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But his drastically altered appearance could have even fans of his two old English clubs wondering who he is.

Gone is the famous ponytail—replaced with a much shorter, sharper look.

But to his dismay, the African Football Association decided against a short, harsh penalty for a fake coaching license.

Instead, CAF kicked him out of the sport for most of the remainder of the decade.

It’s a dramatic decline for a man who was named the 1998 African Ballon d’Or winner, helped by his brilliant performances at that year’s World Cup.

Moroccan Mustapha Hadji had already shone for Nancy, Sporting Lisbon and then Deportivo de La Coruna.

And in 1999 he left Spain for the Premier League – for three years at Coventry City, followed by two years at Aston Villa.

In fact, the stylish midfielder only ended his active days in 2010 after three years with the Luxembourg club CS Fola Esch.

And before his suspension on Friday, he was building a solid reputation as a coach.

Hadji was an assistant coach at Qatar’s Umm Salal SC before serving in a similar capacity with the Moroccan national team from 2014-2022.

But now it’s all gone, as is his long hair.

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