Antonio Conte is known for his tactical brilliance, fiery intensity and touchline dramatics — qualities that have defined his career as one of the most unique Premier League managers of all time.
Moreover, he is known to be someone who doesn’t back down from a fight, even when it comes to his hair loss. It may explain why the ex-Chelsea chief underwent not one, not two, but reportedly three hair transplants.
Many may now recall Conte as having a perfectly fine thatch, but years ago, the Spurs manager suffered from severe hair loss.
So, let’s take a closer look at Antonio Conte’s hair transplant journey and find out why he might’ve needed multiple surgeries.
Who Is Antonio Conte?
Conte is one of the most prolific managers in football history, having led Juventus, Chelsea, Inter, Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli, and he’s also a retired midfielder who played for both Juventus and Italy.
His background as a Juventus legend preceded his coaching career, as he won 5 Serie A titles, 4 Supercoppa Italiana, the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, the Coppa Italia, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Intertoto Cup.
He continued his streak of victories as a manager by bagging 4 Serie A titles — including three consecutive titles with Juventus — the FA Cup in his first Premier League season with Chelsea, and the Supercoppa Italiana, among others. Currently, he’s the new head coach of Napoli.
Did Antonio Conte Have A Hair Transplant?
According to reports, Antonio Conte has had three hair transplants, and regarding the third, he said: “What I didn’t like about myself I already solved, it was my hair. I have never worn a wig. I simply went to Toronto and received a transplant.”
He may have had his first hair transplant surgery in 1999, at the age of 30, another one in 2002, at the age of 33, and his last one in 2007, at age 38, based on his photos. Conte himself hasn’t divulged all the details of his hair transplant journey.
Antonio Conte with arguably the best hair transplant in history 😂 pic.twitter.com/kkEPzHMMZO
— Halo (@db10Halo) August 16, 2014
Antonio Conte's Hair Loss Over The Years
From his time as a player to his time as a manager, here’s how Antonio Conten’s barnet transformed.
Year 1988
Two years into his career with hometown club Lecce, Conte was still a teenager without any signs of hereditary pattern baldness. A full mop covered his head.
sconosciuto, Antonio Conte, Lecce, marked as public domain
Year 1992
Having signed with Juventus and on his way to winning the UEFA cup with Juventus, the 23-year-old had begun showing early signs of baldness. His hair had begun to look thinner (miniaturized) at the front.
sconosciuto, Antonio Conte, 1992-1993, marked as public domain
Year 1994
At 25, his hair loss had already progressed to an advanced stage. In this picture, the shape of his hairline looks fine, but his long wind-blown strands hide the noticeable bald spot that had developed on the top of his scalp.
sconosciuto, Conte, nazionale, marked as public domain
Year 1996
His long hair helps hide the extent of his baldness. However, his hair loss has progressed too much for it to remain discrete. Conte was only 27 years old around this time.
sconosciuto, Antonio Conte – Juventus FC 1996-97, CC0 1.0
Year 1999
At 30, Conte is still going strong with Juventus, and despite being slick wet, the top of his head appears denser. Perhaps Conte had already had his first hair transplant at this point, but his results do not seem satisfactory.
Imago, Italia vs Galles (Bologna, 1999), Cropped, CC0 1.0
Year 2002
By 2002, it looked like Conte had undergone his second hair transplant, as the density of his hair appeared significantly fuller. While the edges of his hairline were still receding, the front centre was more or less completely covered with hair.
Year 2005
In spite of the fact that his hair was generally in much better condition than before, Conte appeared yet again to have developed a noticeable bald patch around his middle part.
Year 2007
The 38-year-old Conte appears to have undergone his third hair transplant around this time. By 2008, his thatch had made a strong comeback after he shaved off all his hair in 2007. Since then, his hair has remained pretty much the same.
What Type Of Hair Transplant Did Antonio Conte Get?
It is possible that Antonio Conte had both FUT and FUE hair transplants.
FUT or follicular unit transplantation was the predominant hair transplant technique in the 1990s, when a strip of hair was cut from the back of the scalp and hair was extracted and transplanted to the balding areas.
Conte may have had his second hair transplant with the same technique because the popular iteration of the modern FUE technique was introduced in 2002.
With time, follicular unit extraction, or FUE, gained popularity due to its less invasive nature, speedy recovery, and lack of visible scarring.
It is possible that Conte’s third hair transplant was performed using this technique.
Why Did Antonio Conte Get Three Hair Transplants?
Conte might’ve needed three hair transplants due to the failure of the first two.
Hair transplants can fail due to a number of reasons, such as inexperience of the surgeon, improper handling of the grafts or negligence during aftercare.
While it’s unclear why Conte still had bald spots despite his alleged hair transplants, the results from the first two were clearly not what one would expect from such a procedure.
This might’ve led him to have multiple hair transplants.
How many Grafts Did Antonio Conte Need?
Judging by his photos, Antonio Conte’s hair transplantation surgeries might’ve needed around 7,000-8,000 grafts, according to a graft calculator.
Obviously, he didn’t get all these grafts at once. He might have needed around 4,000 grafts for his first suspected surgery, for which he lost most of his hair. He might’ve needed 3,000 for the second one, and around 1,500-2,00 for the last one.
This is a very large number of grafts but if a patient’s donor area is strong, it might be possible to harvest such a large quantity without causing any damage. However, this can vary from one patient to another.
Antonio Conte's Norwood Stage
Although Antonio Conte, before his hair transplant, had an unusual frontal fringe and his hair loss had not reached the back of his crown, he still looked to be in Norwood Stages 6-7.
These are the most advanced stages of hair loss on the Norwood Scale. There might be a few thin hairs present, but generally, most of them is lost permanently.
Antonio Conte Before And After Hair Transplant
Here’s a closer look at Antonio Conte pre hair transplant versus post hair transplant.
sconosciuto, Antonio Conte – Juventus FC 1996-97, Cropped, CC0 1.0 (left) and @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London, An Evening with Antonio Conte (32932764062), Cropped, CC BY-SA 2.0 (right)
How Much Did Antonio Conte's Hair Transplants Cost?
It has been reported that Conte had his first two hair transplants in Italy while he flew to Vancouver, Canada, for the last one.
It’s hard to know exactly how much Conte spent on his hair transplants because these surgeries might have cost less back then.
But if you’re curious about how much the hair transplants Antonio Conte underwent would’ve cost today in the same places, it could be upwards of £20,000 or $25,000.
Reactions To Antonio Conte's Hair Transplant
Redditors did not hold back on Antonio Conte’s hair transformation.
"probably the best hair transplant ever. I don't know the number of grafts, but I would guess it were at least 8.000. it is possible that even neck hair were used."
"It's an impressive result for sure, but he had to use so many grafts that he has to keep the hair on his back and sides long. That man ain't using clippers for the rest of his life. Still worth it though."
"It’s the greatest hair upgrade of all time. I’d like to see better. Whatever he did, he needs to spread the word"
"Look at more pics of him online, it looks like he got a transplant and not a toupee. There is one where you can see stubble coming in pretty consistently, like he got a transplant but he was still shaving it until it comes in more."
Other Footballers Who Had A Hair Transplant
Other than Conte, there are many footballers who have either been speculated to or have confirmed getting this surgery. Learn more about the hair transplant stories of:
Interested In Getting A Hair Transplant?
Since 2012, Longevita has been offering hair transplants with excellent results to patients around the globe. If you’re also interested in getting this surgery, get in touch with us to learn more.
