The North American standard for mullets is pretty straight forward. If you have one, you probably fit into one of a few groups: rednecks, small town Alberta hockey players or people on the next level fashion tip. In Colombia, we could say you fit into the latter, minus the next level bit. The Green Soccer Journal share the influence and ubiquitous nature of the mullet in Colombia with a series of photos shot by Stefan Ruiz.

The subjects are from the town of Medellín, an eight hour ride from the country’s capital and home to Deportivo Independiente de Medellín. On this particular day Independiente lined up against bitter rivals Atletico Nacional. Words from Stefan Ruiz’s partner, Rainbow Nelson, outline the scene.

After receiving such a positive response to The Mullets of Medellín, in issue two, we are pleased to present you with a further look into Stefan Ruiz and Rainbow Nelson’s venture to the Estadio Atanasio Girardot.

Those that have been stuck on a bus in Colombia for more than two hours will half understand the country’s anachronistic addiction to the mullet. Whether it is Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris or Jean Claude Van Damme, this is a country that likes a hero with a bad dose of Hockey Hair.

But even the eight-hour ride from the Colombian capital of Bogotá cannot fully prepare you for the experience of arriving in Medellín on match day. Whether you wear the red, blue and white of Deportivo Independiente de Medellín (DIM) or the green and white stripes of their more illustrious rivals, Atletico Nacional, you are nobody in the Estadio Atanasio Girardot if you don’t wear you hair ‘short on top and long at the back please’.

The mullet takes a beating in North America as a valid hairstyle, but it’s alive, well, and celebrated in the soccer environs of Colombia.