EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: From England legends to Champions League winners, A Star has supplied the most well-known footballers with eye-catching trims – and he has something special in store for Jack Grealish

Ahmed Alsanawi – better known as A Star – is the man behind your favourite footballers’ hairstyles.

Based in Kingston upon Thames, South West London, the entrepreneur has become a barber to the stars.

From England heroes Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish, to overseas players like Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba, Ahmed has supplied elite level trims to world class stars for the better part of a decade.

He has become an integral part of each player’s preparation, even being flown to Qatar to officially oversee the England squad’s haircuts for the tournament.

But it wasn’t always the high life for the man who now boasts almost a million followers on Instagram. Ahmed revealed it was far from plain sailing initially, with the barber making his fair share of errors when he first started out.

“Luckily the blunders weren’t for the likes of Jack Grealish or Jesse Lingard at the time!” A Star exclusively told Daily Star Sport. “I think whenever I work with Jack, I am proud of the end result. That man has a brilliant head of hair!

Which footballer do you think has the best trim? Let us know in the comments section.

Man City ace Phil Foden is one of his most famous clients (Image: astarbarbers/Instagram)

“I am a perfectionist when it comes to cutting, shaping and styling my clients hair. A lot of them are in the public eye so it is crucial to get it right with no mishaps.”

Grealish’s trademark long locks and hair band has become one of English football’s best recognised trims. He is also responsible for giving Paul Pogba his constant range of new styles.

And he ranks some of his own trims as the most iconic, alongside some other well-known greats.

A Star has almost a million followers on Instagram

“If we’re talking iconic haircuts – whether good or bad – Jermain Defoe’s mohawk which went diagonally across his head is definitely up there. Bizarre but so well done!” he said.

“[David] Beckham’s cornrows will also go down as a firm favourite. I think he really set the bar for more footballers to be experimental with their styles.

“I definitely think Grealish has brought back the hair band era and Foden has encouraged more guys to brave the bleach blonde in recent months. I was influenced too to brave the blonde.”

Aside from the marvellous array of eye-catching trims he is able to dish out, A Star is known for cultivating excellent rapport with Premier League superstars.

Ahmed Alsanawi was flown to the Qatar World Cup to cut the England players’ hair (Image: astarbarbers/Instagram)

His popularity on Instagram surged thanks to a regular stream of behind the scenes videos, including ones where he played pranks on the likes of Hazard and Chelsea legend John Terry.

Ahmed, who is a brand expert for Toppik Hair Fibers, explained: “I think it goes for anyone, when you find ‘your’ barber who does your hair exactly as you want it, you will go to the ends of the earth to never let them go.

“But I also get on so well with my clientele and sometimes our chats on all things life go on a lot longer than the cut itself.

A Star has a great relationship with footballers

“I feel like the barber chair is that place in a man’s life that they travel to in order to look and feel their best and offload to whoever is in charge of cutting their hair. What a spa is to a woman, the barber chair is to a man.”

As two of Ahmed’s most famous customers close in on a historic treble-winning season with Manchester City, the hairstylist could have something special in the works should things go their way.

“Maybe I can convince Grealish and Foden to do something a bit out there to celebrate,” he teased. “Keep your eyes peeled to find out!