ADEKUNLE AGBABIAKA is just about the only Newcastle fan who still has time for Alexander Isak.
And he even took almost an hour to make sure the Swedish striker looked “perfect” for his Liverpool transfer.
Alexander Isak got his hair cut the day before his £130m Liverpool transfer
Adekunle Agbabiaka had the big responsibility
Isak gets a trim every week from the Madeinkays owner
from St James’ Park to Anfield on deadline day and could make his debut against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
But on the Sunday, 24 hours before the deal was officially confirmed, Agbabiaka was with “very nice guy” Isak at his home in Newcastle – to cut his hair.
However, the barber resisted the urge to ask: “Going anywhere nice?” with transfer talk strictly off limits.
Agbabiaka, 40, told SunSport: “No way! I know my boundaries. I don’t even ask those questions because I’m not going to get the answers. I just wait like everyone else.
“But as a fan, I said to him, ‘Bro, I don’t know what’s going on but I hope you stay so we can be in the every year.”
“He just laughed. I knew it was going to happen, it was only a matter of time.
“I will maintain a personal connection with him and will probably get the call to go to so we can still maintain that friendship.
“It doesn’t bother me as a friend but football-wise, he’s not on my team anymore.”
Agbabiaka knew that emergency August 31 trim held particular significance from the moment got in touch.
He added: “Normally, he just texts me so when he called I knew this was very important.
“All he said was, ‘I’m going to need you.’
“I usually get to his house ten or 15 minutes late but I was actually on time that day because I knew it might be a big day for him.
“It was a big day for me as well because I knew the haircut would go viral.
“I gave him the normal cut. I normally take half an hour but I did it in 50 minutes. I took my time to make sure it was perfect.”
These guys really look after me. Sometimes you see a chunk of those big pinkies [£50 notes].
Toon fan and barber Agbabiaka
Agbabiaka – or simply Kay to his clients and friends – started barbering in 2010 and moved from London to Tyneside in 2014, where his colleague already had Shola Ameobi and Obafemi Martins as clients.
But word of mouth around the Newcastle training ground and beyond saw his list of footballers wanting his services grow and he opened his own barbershop Made In Kays in 2015.
Agbabiaka went full circle with Isak at Newcastle, secretly doing his trim at a city hotel before his 2022 arrival from Real Sociedad was announced after an SOS call from Joe Willock to help out his new Magpies team-mate.
Isak called Kay for the emergency trim
The barber got a personalised gown made for the ex-Newcastle striker
The Swedish star signed the black-and-white cape
Isak’s barber made a cheeky last-ditch attempt to convince him to stay at St James’ Park
Like many footballers – including Adama Traore, Kelechi Iheanacho, Callum Wilson, Jamaal Lascelles and even Philippe Coutinho – the forward was immediately impressed and stuck with Kay for weekly cuts.
And his Toon-loving hairdresser got a personalised ‘Isak 14’ Newcastle-themed gown made for his superstar regular.
Asked how much he charged the departing striker for the all-important haircut, Agbabiaka did not give an exact figure but revealed Isak and his other footballer clients are incredibly generous.
The joyful hairdresser – who may go out to the 2026 World Cup to keep his players looking fresh – explained: “Because we have a good relationship, the standard haircut price is £60. But these guys really look after me.
“Sometimes you see a chunk of those big pinkies [£50 notes]. They are just really nice people.
“It’s so hard for me to go to their house and name a price so after a haircut, they often just say, ‘Here we go,’ and often it’s more than I would normally charge.
“On my birthday, Lascelles and Willock took me to dinner and had a little party and spent about £3,000 just on me.
“I’m there for them when they need a haircut, making sure they look good for the games – but that might be why I haven’t been on holiday for five years.”
Agbabiaka did Isak’s hair before his Newcastle unveiling in 2022
Isak will no doubt be calling his barber for trips to Liverpool 
