Matildas hero Hayley Raso slams haters who don’t like the way she looks on the pitch after scoring twice in World Cup victory over Canada
- Raso has sported an iconic look on the pitch since her childhood
- Matildas star called out “fan” criticizing her on Twitter
- Raso scored a brace in the first half as Australia beat Canada 4–0
Matilda’s hero of the hour Hayley Raso has a message for those football fans who don’t like the signature ribbon in her hair: get a life.
The 28-year-old was the target of a social media post in which a troll berated her for her iconic appearance on the pitch – and Real Madrid’s recent signing has been typically blunt.
“Suggest you drop the ribbon. Difficult to take you seriously as a professional adult footballer when you wear a ribbon in your hair,” said the alleged football fan tweeted.
Raso’s response was epic: ‘Have you seen me play football yet? Hard to take you seriously if your sentence doesn’t even make sense.’
Raso’s brilliance led the Matildas to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup in Melbourne on Monday after finishing with a first-half brace.
Matilda’s hero of the hour Hayley Raso has a message for those football fans who don’t like the signature ribbon in her hair – brace yourself
The midfielder was unstoppable against Canada, scoring twice in the first half as the Matildas won 4-0 in Melbourne
In a post-match interview on Monday night, Raso was asked, “Will anyone ever question your haircut after that?”
She answered bluntly, “No.”
The 28-year-old opened the scoring with a clinical finish from the edge of the penalty area to set the tone after just nine minutes, then found the back of the net in the run-up to half time when she bounced off a loose ball after a corner from young gun Kyra Cooney-Cross.
Gold Coast product Raso made her Matildas debut in 2012 and quickly became a mainstay in the squad.
Her haircut earned her the nickname ‘Ribbons’ and she has adopted the look since she was in youth football.
“It’s something I like to wear. I’ve been doing it for a long time, ever since I was young and going through the state level, it’s just my thing and I enjoy doing it,” she said in 2017.
Raso’s haircut even inspired the children’s book ‘Hayley’s Ribbon’, which will be released in 2021.
Before signing for Real Madrid, Raso played in the W-League for Canberra United as a teenager from 2011, followed by spells with Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar.
Next was the USA in 2015, where Raso represented Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns (2016-2019), before moving to England and playing for Everton (2020-2021) and Manchester City (2021-2023).
The stunning result saw Australia top Group B and progress to the World Cup Round of 16 (Raso can be seen on the right, wearing her iconic hair ribbon)
Following her two goals against the shocked Canucks, Raso was named player of the game on Monday, with Tony Gustavsson’s rampant team finishing top of Group B.
It was the way they totally outclassed their opponents – who happen to be the Olympic champions – that left Matildas fans elated.
And they’re poised to be even deadlier when superstar striker Sam Kerr is named to play in the round of 16 on August 7 at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
Kerr, 29, was benched against Canada but was coddled with the result assured.