The story of a haircut and unfulfilled potential ... Ar'Jany Martha's time with Rotherham United

Ar'Jany Martha was in the manager's office.

He was in trouble, and it was all about a haircut.

There was nothing wrong with a visit to the barbers, of course, but Matt Hamshaw had got wind of the fact that the Dutch attacker was planning to travel to Manchester to have his locks taken care of.

The boss didn't think that was an appropriate way to behave in the build-up to a match and made sure Martha and partner in crime Martin Sherif knew how he felt.

"Don't worry, Gaffer," said the penitent player. "I'll score a goal for you on Saturday."

And he was true to his word, rifling in a worldie in a 3-0 win last November over Lincoln City who would go on to run away with the League One title.

That was in the days when Martha's sublime skill was making a difference to Rotherham United.

He'd played for Ajax as a kid, he'd come, aged 21, to AESSEAL New York Stadium from Belgian side Beerschot, he'd been unbelievable in front of the Sky cameras against Bradford City and the Millers looked lucky to have him.

He never scored for them again.

Last week, he left after 52 appearances, heading back to the top division in Holland, the Eredivisie, for a season-long with Telstar who have an option to buy him. If everything works out in his homeland, he won't wear a Rotherham shirt again despite have two years to run on his contract.

For a while in S60, he fizzed; for a spell, he flattered; ultimately, he failed.

He had become a peripheral figure by the second half of last term, dropped by Hamshaw, then used largely as a substitute by Lee Clark, then never chosen as a starter this season by Alex Bruce. A move, when it came, suited club and player equally.

Martha made a little bit of history, becoming the first-ever serving Miller to make the World Cup Finals, with Curacao. In some ways, there was his biggest contribution to the club as his involvement in the tournament brought more them more £100,000 in FIFA money.

He'd arrived for no initial fee, with Rotherham then paying a five-figure sum after a certain number of outings.

Curacao's exploits thrust him into the limelight, and he conducted an afternoon of interviews with various media outlets at New York late in 2025 when they'd qualified for this summer's global extravaganza.

He was nervous yet enjoying the attention at the same time and conducted himself well. At Roundwood, he wasn't one of the players who would look to make eye contact with you, but he was friendly enough nonetheless.

The stark truth is, he didn't make anywhere near enough of his talent with the Millers. With his stick-thin frame, he was lightweight in more ways than one.

Sometimes, there'd be a little burst of tight-space trickery and we'd all warm to him. But, at other times, from his wing, he'd spot a teammate running towards goal in acres of spaces and send an infuriating, lazy, outside-of-the-foot waft straight to an opposing centre-half or the goalkeeper.

He could and should have been so much better, his stay could and should have been so much more worthwhile. He made 24 league starts and, tellingly, his other 21 league contributions came from the bench.

His final game typified his contribution as a Miller. There was a lovely low cross at Tranmere Rovers as the sub set up that an equaliser for Aaron Nemane, followed by such a shameful and obvious reluctance to track back as the home side took the lead again that I was receiving texts from angry fans before the final whistle.

Back in November, meanwhile, Hamshaw had been quietly buzzing at such cocky self-belief when the player made his pre-Lincoln goal pledge and celebrated his spectacular strike by running across the New York turf towards the dugout pointing to his barnet.

Fast forward to now and Martha could do with taking a close look at himself before he lets any more of his career slip by. He turned 23 last Friday.

A player capable of going to the World Cup Finals shouldn't be unworthy of a starting 11 in League Two.

That has nothing to do hair. That's down to head and heart.