Meet the man behind many of the Crew players’ fresh haircuts
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Between an MLS Cup title and making it to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final in the past year, the Crew have been a cut above the competition. Now meet the man who makes sure they look the part.
“It’s not just a barber,” Johnba Alvarez said. “I feel like I’m getting a haircut with my friend. That’s how they feel.”
Alvarez has been a Columbus resident for about four years but he’s been cutting hair for over a decade. A lifelong soccer fan from Colombia, Alvarez crossed paths with a customer that arguably changed his life.
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“The first player was Luis Diaz. The Costa Rican guy. He’s a really good guy. He text me via Instagram, like how he can come to me,” Alvarez said. “He came to get a haircut. And then we were good friends.
Thanks to Luis Diaz, the word was out and his client list eventually grew with more Crew players. Next came Cucho Hernandez, then Max Arfsten, Rudy Camacho and the recently departed Aidan Morris.
“Like Aidan, he don’t like to touch too much at the top,” Alvarez said. “Cucho, he has like four or five styles for all year. He do color, he do lines, he do different fades. Cucho always wants to look different. He’s the man.”
Alvarez said the hair always seems to fit the personality. But over time, he’s given more to Columbus players than just a fresh cut.
“They love to play soccer but it’s work too. So when they come to the barber, you don’t always talk about work. You talk different conversation. The life. How you feel,” Alvarez said.
Now when Alvarez sees the Crew on the field, he knows thousands of fans can see his work too. And it’s paying off. This week, he’s also styling the hair of many players taking part in the MLS NEXT All-Star game taking place the night before the big showdown between MLS and LIGA MX All-Stars.
“That makes me so happy,” Alvarez said. “All haircut, I’m thinking, ‘It has to be good. It has to be good. It has to be good.'”
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