@FootynewsImagine losing a World Cup spot over a haircut. That's the Fernando Redondo story with the Argentina National Team, and it still feels unreal. Daniel Passarella had a rule for his squads: short hair, no exceptions. Redondo wouldn't cut his, so he wasn't part of the 1998 World Cup in France. That was the cost. But the club career? He was a different level at Real Madrid and Milan, lifted the Champions League twice, and in 2000 got named the best midfielder in Europe. 1999 comes around and Marcelo Bielsa tries to pull him back into the Albiceleste. Redondo says no. The reason was disappointment with how the national team had treated him before. And then there's that heel against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the kind of touch that gets replayed forever. 29 caps for Argentina. Retired in 2004. The whole thing is a conflict between who he was and what he was told to be, and people are still debating whether he got it right. He kept his principles instead of giving in to authority. That's the part that stays with you.

@FootynewsImagine losing a World Cup spot over a haircut. That's the Fernando Redondo story with the Argentina National Team, and it still feels unreal. Daniel Passarella had a rule for his squads: short hair, no exceptions. Redondo wouldn't cut his, so he wasn't part of the 1998 World Cup in France. That was the cost. But the club career? He was a different level at Real Madrid and Milan, lifted the Champions League twice, and in 2000 got named the best midfielder in Europe. 1999 comes around and Marcelo Bielsa tries to pull him back into the Albiceleste. Redondo says no. The reason was disappointment with how the national team had treated him before. And then there's that heel against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the kind of touch that gets replayed forever. 29 caps for Argentina. Retired in 2004. The whole thing is a conflict between who he was and what he was told to be, and people are still debating whether he got it right. He kept his principles instead of giving in to authority. That's the part that stays with you.