Des Walker debunks 40-year-old Wikipedia claim that Spurs released him over a haircut

Des Walker, the former Nottingham Forest and England defender, has personally denied a decades-old rumour that Tottenham Hotspur released him as a youth player because he refused to get a haircut — insisting the club simply felt he was not up to standard.

Walker joined Spurs as a youngster before leaving for Nottingham Forest in 1980 at the age of 15, going on to make his first-team debut under Brian Clough at 18. His Wikipedia page, however, has long carried an uncited claim that his departure from White Hart Lane stemmed from a dispute over his hair length — a version of events Walker is keen to bury.

“I saw that story on Wikipedia,” Walker said. “Somebody has come up with a reason for why they let me go, and apparently that’s the best they could come up with.”

He also pointed out the obvious flaw in the timeline. “Remember, I left in 1982. Around 1981, just about everyone had long hair. So why would they have kicked me out because I had long hair? Look at Chris Waddle.”

For Walker, the truth is far more straightforward. “They deemed that I wasn’t good enough,” he said. “That’s it. I went on and had my career, and now it’s up to them to decide whether they got that decision right or wrong. But the idea that it was because I had long hair? No, no, no. We can definitely debunk that one.”

Whatever Spurs’ reasoning, the decision proved costly in hindsight. Walker went on to make 346 appearances for Nottingham Forest, establishing himself as one of the most reliable defenders of his generation, before also spending time in Italian football and eventually returning to the City Ground to end his playing days.