Scott Brown has admitted he only used to shave his head to "intimidate" people and show them that he "meant business" during his playing days.
The 37-year-old, who enjoyed a 20-year career with Hibernian, Celtic and Aberdeen, forged a reputation for his no-nonsense, win at all costs mentality, especially during his trophy-laden spell at Celtic Park.
He was, of course, a talented midfielder who helped the Hoops lift 10 Scottish Premiership titles, but a key part of his game was the intimidation factor.
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In fact, such was his dedication to being the tough guy, Brown would shave his head on a regular basis to maintain his reputation.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Brown opened up about his hair-shaving days.
“It was more to intimidate people than anything,” he said. “I shaved my head before every game and it was to look a bit harder, to look more aggressive, to show that I meant business.
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“I would always try and pick on the bigger guy, never the small guy. I wanted to punch above my weight. I wanted to play Champions League.
"I wanted to play against Barcelona, Bayern Munich. And I loved it. I loved playing against the best players in the world and I did it quite a lot and I thrived off it.”
He added: “You could be anyone you wanted for 90 minutes.
“As soon as I crossed the line I became a different person. I was quite chilled and relaxed away from the pitch. On it, I was a pantomime villain. I could become a bit of an a******* on the park.”
Since hanging up his boots in May last year after a brief nine month spell with Aberdeen as player-coach, the 37-year-old has taken the manager's job at League One side Fleetwood Town.
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And the former Celtic man has decided to grow out his hair – a look that is hard to grow accustomed to after years of rocking the bald look.
In the interview, Brown explained the reasons behind his latest hair growth.
“It’s me getting older, more mature,” he said.
“But also it was nothing to do with me not shaving my head to become a manager. It was my kids! They just wanted to see me with hair and they said I looked younger and less aggressive and more approachable.
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“But I have always been approachable, even away from football. I am a ‘people person’ and I like to chat.
“It’s nice to be nice. If people think I am not then I get that. They might think I am intimidating but that’s me as a player, which is fine. I try to be a nice guy and speak well at every club I go to and buy into it."
He added: “Whether it’s what you do on the youth and community side – and I did that at Celtic for 14 years. Any time there was press and we got beaten it was like ‘on you go, Scott’.
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“If we won there was ten, 12 other people wanting to do it! Sometimes you have to do what’s best for the club.”
Featured Image Credit: BBC Radio Lancashire/AlamyTopics: Celtic, Aberdeen, Scottish Premiership, Scotland
