Manchester United fan vows not to cut his hair until team wins five games in a row

Frank Ilett, a lifelong Manchester United supporter, made a promise to himself and to fellow fans: that he would not cut his hair until his team won five consecutive matches.

What started as a lighthearted challenge has since turned into a viral social media phenomenon with a charitable mission behind it. 

Ilett began his challenge in October last year, deciding to stop cutting his hair while waiting for the team to go on a winning streak.

He told “BBC” that he started growing his afro-style hair as a way to “spread some humour” among supporters during a difficult start to the season.

What began as a fun idea soon became something much bigger than he had imagined.

“It’s been an absolutely crazy journey,” Ilett said. “I never expected my hair or my following to be as big as it has become.”

He admitted that the closest he came to ending the challenge was in January, when Manchester United won three games in a row.

His hopes were cut short when the team lost to Crystal Palace in early February. Since then, his hair - and his online presence - have continued to grow.

The challenge has captured widespread attention online, earning Ilett over 400,000 Instagram followers and a growing audience on TikTok.

In March alone, his following increased by 60,000 people. But despite the viral fame, Ilett insists that the challenge is not about popularity.

From the start, his goal was to turn his hair into something meaningful. He plans to donate it to charity once it reaches the required length.

“The plan was always to donate the funds to charity,” he explained. “This length isn’t enough for hair donations yet. It’s about 18 centimetres now, but it needs to be at least 25 to 30 centimetres. Still, I want to raise money for charity anyway.”

Ilett is raising funds for the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides free wigs made from real hair to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other medical conditions.

In addition, Ilett donates part of the income he earns from social media advertisements to Mind UK, a mental health charity.

Looking ahead, Ilett hopes for a fitting end to his journey. “I’d love to finally cut my hair at Old Trafford,” he said. “I’ve already been contacted by a few barbers.”

Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot commented on the challenge: “Let’s see! Hope we can give him that haircut.”