He may be a serious contender for the Golden Boot award of the World Cup’s top scorer, but Norway striker Erling Haaland has brought more than his deeply impressive soccer skills to the tournament.
The Norseman has become something of an internet icon in recent weeks, with the striker accumulating a large fanbase, thanks to his highly memeable antics both on and off the field.
From guzzling a New York deli sandwich to descending on a Western store with his Norwegian teammates, here’s a closer look at how the striker became a World Cup breakout star.
The Erling Haaland running meme
Clips of Haaland, who stands at 6-foot-5, charging across the pitch at full speed, have inspired countless memes, comparing the soccer star to something out of a horror movie.
FIFA has removed some of the clips due to copyright infringement, but some fans have created their own takes, adopting the striker’s menacing charge as he stomps around the pitch.
In case you were wondering, Haaland was clocked at an impressive 22.5 miles per hour in the Premier League this last season.
Haaland embraces cowboy life
Haaland made a surprise stop at Wild Bill’s Western Store in downtown Dallas this week, trying on hats and boots and buying a selection of cowboy gear, as seen in this viral photo.
Fresh off scoring the goal that secured Norway’s knockout win over Ivory Coast on Tuesday, he made a beeline for Wild Bill’s Western Store in downtown Dallas — and posted a photo of himself posing on the store’s steps in a Stetson, cowboy boots and the iconic “Y’All Can Kiss My Dallas” T-shirt. Within days, the store sold out of the items Haaland had purchased.
Julie Newport, the store’s owner, said Haaland told the Norway team, “Come on, guys, we’re gonna go shopping.” The team stayed for shots, line dancing and, of course, Haaland’s staircase photo, which fans have since been recreating.
“They had, like, absolutely the best time doing that. It was like dress-up for them,” store owner Cody Newport told ABC News. “I’m very proud as a store owner, but also as a Texan.”
‘I’m the social media guy’
Haaland has made it clear that he loves a good prank. After firing Norway into the World Cup knockout stages, he decided to test out his Southern drawl on unsuspecting locals. In a viral clip from his YouTube channel, a fan approaches the striker and asks, “Are y’all on the Norwegian soccer team?”
Adopting a brilliant, deadpan Southern drawl, the striker effortlessly deflected the attention: “No, not me. I’m the social media guy.”
Doubling down, Haaland deflects the fan’s question again, with his YouTube producer, Jonathan Turton, instead claiming to be the Norwegian striker, while Haaland himself giggles unnoticed in the background.
Leading the Viking row
Norway’s legions of traveling fans have been attracting attention across the U.S. during the tournament, coordinating synchronized rows as if they were powering a Viking longship.
Haaland and the team have now adopted the gag as their own, joining fans on the pitch for a post-match row after they won their qualifier at Dallas Stadium.
In this clip, the striker and his teammates can be seen sitting down on the pitch, leading thousands of their traveling supporters in a massive, synchronized rowing motion to celebrate their victory.
Mexico pays tribute
It turns out the Viking row is not exclusive to Norway.
The Mexico team adopted Norway’s signature move after defeating Ecuador 2-0 — complete with Haaland masks, of course.
If both teams beat their next opponents — Mexico beats England, and Norway beats Brazil — they are due to play each other in the last 8.
Haaland tags Vinícius Júnior in stand-off clip
Some long-term Haaland stans may be familiar with the player’s antics on Snapchat, but the striker has started to get other players involved during this tournament, too.
In an AI-generated clip by stayhumblecentral, Haaland and the Brazilian striker Vinícius Júnior are depicted in a standoff reminiscent of the movie “White Chicks,” with the Norwegian forward playing the role of the character Marcus Copeland from the comedy movie.
As the teams prepared for their meet-up on Sunday in New Jersey, Haaland acknowledged the clip, suggesting that the pair recreate it. “Hahahahahahaahaha @vinijr we need to recreate this,” he wrote to the Brazilian forward.
The fake viral video
Haaland has become so popular, it’s perhaps no surprise that there have been some fake viral moments, too.
This one was widely shared and showed Haaland apparently being startled by his own reflection while chowing down on some food.
Sadly, it was an AI-generated video apparently adapted from a TikTok video skit by the comedy duo Jin Long and Qui Qui.
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