Celtic hero Scott Brown explains why he chose to be bald throughout his playing career

That's because the Cod Army's boss now has thick black hair, a hairstyle that's a far cry from the look he rocked as a player.

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Throughout his career Scotland-born Brown always sported a shaved head, which became a key part of his identity during his time wearing the armband for Celtic.

But since hanging up his boots last year and transitioning into management, the ex-Hibernian and Aberdeen midfielder has grown his hair out, and even has a hint of a quiff now.

The 37-year-old has now revealed there was method in his reasons for trimming off the hair on his head on a match-by-match basis.

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"It was more to intimidate people than anything," Brown told The Daily Telegraph.

"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.

"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.

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"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."

Across his career, Brown made 757 appearances and scored 61 goals, winning a mammoth ten Scottish league titles, six Scottish Cups and seven Scottish League Cups.

But that success was helped by portraying an alter ego on the pitch, according to Brown, as he explained his mentality whenever he pulled on his boots.

"You could be anyone you wanted for 90 minutes," Brown said.

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"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."

Brown grew back his hair during lockdown for the first time since he was a teenager, the Hoops legend admitting he was influenced by his family.

"It's me getting older, more mature," he added. "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.

"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."