How Lalas Abubakar Found his Hair Stylist

Dallas, Texas – From Chidozie Awaziem to Dom Badji, Colorado Rapids have had quite a few impressive African players in their history, but few have made such an indelible mark as Alhassan “Lalas” Abubakar.

Born in Kumasi, Ghana, Abubakar grew up in Accra and started playing soccer for the University of Ghana before earning the interest of the University of Dayton, where he impressed in central defense for the Flyers. It’s why Columbus Crew decided to select him with the fifth overall pick of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, with Abubakar bouncing around between Columbus and USL side Pittsburgh Riverhounds before building on his momentum with a promising second season in Ohio. However, with Gregg Berhalter departing to take charge of the U.S. Men’s National Team, Abubakar immediately dropped down the pecking order under new manager Caleb Porter. Having already made 36 appearances at 23 years of age, Abubakar suddenly couldn’t get onto the pitch.

It’s why, in May 2019, Abubakar joined Colorado Rapids on loan, where he immediately impressed with his composed decision-making on the ball, his aggressive tackling style and his fearless last-ditch defending, prompting them to make the deal permanent. Similarly to other center backs like Christian Gray, Abubakar displayed a penchant for finding the back of the net, scoring 9 goals and 3 assists in 153 appearances with the Rapids. Abubakar has challenged some of the best forwards in world football during his time in MLS, none harder than Zlatan Ibrahimović.

“To this day, I will always say Ibrahimović is the toughest opponent I’ve faced in my entire career,” stated Abubakar in an exclusive Burgundy Wave interview. “Man, he gave me some tough times when I played against him. I lost against him in Columbus and said, ‘Man, this guy, I gotta get him back. So when I went to Colorado in 2019, I got him back and we won 2-1…we ended up beating his Galaxy both times. I always fought with him, it’s crazy, we just went at each other…he’s the toughest player I’ve played against , very strong, big guy, overall just a really tough opponent.”

After reaching the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs in 2020, a season which saw him win the club’s Defender of the Year for a second-straight season, Abubakar led Colorado to the 2021 Western Conference Semfinals, before returning to the postseason three years later and losing 9-1 to LA Galaxy in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. He decided to terminate his Colorado chapter after six years in Commerce City, joining FC Dallas on a two-year contract with a one-year club option. Abubakar commenced the 2025 season on the bench but has grown into a key figure for FC Dallas, making 26 appearances in MLS and two in the US Open Cup. After playing the full 90 in 10 straight matches, during which he scored his first goal for the club, Abubakar has come off the bench in Dallas’ last three matches.

“I talk to the coaches all the time, I talk to manager Eric Quill but especially assistant coach Rodrigo Ríos and ask them ‘What do I need to do to be in the team?’” stated Abubakar to BW. “I want to be in the team, I want to play, I want to contribute, and that pushes me. Sometimes they tell me, ‘You need to do this, and I keep working on it, and it’s still the same, nothing has changed. I keep trying to learn every day, grow every day, and be the best player that Dallas wants me to be, to be able to contribute and help the team. I’m a very big team player, I’m someone who will do whatever is needed in order to help the team be successful.”

Whether coming off the bench or starting in defense, Abubakar has made a name for himself with his upbeat personality, his relentless work rate, and his unique hairstyle. “I used to have crazy, all-natural hair in Columbus and Colorado, and it got to a level where it was so heavy, I’d have to fix it when I’m playing,” stated Abubakar to Burgundy Wave. “After the last season, I said, ‘No, I need to do something different, so I went to my stylist, this lady in Colorado who’s very good and who’s worked with the Denver Nuggets and a lot of NBA players like DeAndre Jordan and Michael Porter Junior, she does their hair.”

“She saw my hair and told my friend two years ago, ‘Oh, I really like his hair. I want to work on it. I told her, ‘No, I’m not sure, nobody touches my hair. But when the time was right, I went to her and said ‘I want something similar, but I always want my hair to be longer. Can you come up with something?’ We discussed this and tried a wicks cut, and I loved it. I didn’t want to lose my identity because people know me from my hair, so I wanted to have it as I’m playing.  But I always say, as soon as I’m done playing, the first thing that’s going to go is the hair.”

At nearly 31 years of age, Lalas Abubakar has already played 200+ times in Major League Soccer and reached the playoffs with two different teams, and today, he’s looking to do the same with FC Dallas, who sit 10th in the West, level on 38 points with San Jose Earthquakes, two behind Colorado Rapids and two above Houston, with a game in hand on all of those teams, as well as one point above 11th-placed Real Salt Lake. But whilst he’s now competing against Colorado for a playoff spot, Abubakar hasn’t forgotten the impact that Colorado has made in his professional soccer career.

“Colorado paved the way for me” Abubakar stated to RG. “I started in Columbus with Gregg Berhalter, where I was playing a lot. When Berhalter left, it became a little challenging for me to play, so the plan was to get minutes and learn in Colorado. I was motivated to go and prove that I can play, and when I got to Colorado, I just pushed myself and did everything that I could to help the team. We did really well throughout the years, and I enjoyed the trust from the fans, coaching staff, front office, which helped me a lot and made everything easier for me from day one.”

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