"My life has changed": Erling Haaland's new career
An oversight that Tom Holland won't forget, a rap song that became a hit, and hilarious AI videos: how did Erling Haaland become the undisputed king of social media, and what does he have to say about the madness surrounding him?
Norwegian social media conqueror: For about seven years, Erling Haaland (25) has been considered one of the best players in the world. With monstrous numbers and titles in every team he has joined, he is the undisputed star of the Norwegian national team. This summer, Haaland reached the World Cup for the first time and transformed from a football star into a global icon in every sense of the word.
Haaland has always been portrayed as one of the most interesting and prolific players world football has to offer, with a unique walk, viral post-match interviews, surprising honesty, and extraordinary indifference. It seems the world has finally gotten to know the "Norwegian machine" and fallen in love.
Collaboration with Vinicius and AI madness
Instagram and TikTok are exploding with AI videos of the striker, where he is seen singing, dancing, or even appearing as a woman, alongside the "Haaland lookalikes" trend. Before Norway's round of 16 match against Brazil, an AI video of Haaland and Vinicius Junior singing together in a car went viral. Haaland responded: "Hahahaha, we need to recreate this," and tagged Vinicius.
Users have noticed the striker is particularly active on social media. Crowds try their luck daily, asking Haaland to respond, and many receive a "nice" comment from the Norwegian, which has become his web trademark. Before the World Cup, he had 40 million Instagram followers; now, our internet star has no less than 75 million. It is the highest increase in followers for any player during the tournament.
Holland vs. Haaland
Even Tom Holland—the Spider-Man actor and one of the world's most successful stars—revealed during the World Cup that he had sent Haaland a message. He wanted to invite him for coffee and convince him to sign with Tottenham, but the striker never replied.
"The memes are too good," Haaland admitted in a recent YouTube video where he addressed the madness. He laughed off comparisons to a green onion due to his hairstyle and his AI-generated female personas. Regarding ghosting Tom Holland, he said: "He sent me the message and I didn't know who it was, I didn't watch Spider-Man. So I only replied now. I wrote: 'They say I'm ignoring you, know that it's not true. Right now I'm not sure about Tottenham, but who knows? Maybe in the future'."
The secret career that went viral
In 2016, when 16-year-old Haaland played for the Norwegian youth team, he formed a rap group with two teammates called "Flow Kingz." The trio recorded a song titled "Kygo Jo"—a tribute to famous Norwegian DJ Kygo. The song features a hilarious music video of them dancing on a playground. For years, it was forgotten, but with Haaland's success, it was rediscovered and went viral.
During the World Cup, DJ Kygo promised to release a remix if Haaland scored against Brazil. The striker scored a brace, and the remix was released on all platforms. "We were three bored friends, so we decided to make a song," Haaland recalled. When asked about his next single, he joked: "We'll see, I need to focus on football now, maybe after I retire. Maybe DJ Khaled will join us in the next song."
Haaland continues to be one of the most interesting and colorful players in world football, even while on vacation. Let's not forget he is the world's top scorer with 317 goals at only 25—a real monster. We can only hope his new career as an internet star won't affect his abilities, though I wouldn't mind a "Get ready with me for a match in the English league" video.
