A star abroad, the goofy Norwegian striker has captured casual American hearts one social media video at a time.
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Erling Haaland arrived in the United States last month as one of the most famous soccer players on the planet. But the 6-foot-5, flaxen-haired Norwegian striker was a relative unknown for the average American sports fan, the every-four-year World Cup fan who doesn’t know Haaland’s Man City from Man U.
Now, five games, seven goals and untold Viking-boat rows later, Americans know him. And they can’t get enough.
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” invited Haaland as a guest, though preparations for Norway’s quarterfinal game against England on Saturday prevented him from accepting. Googling his name produced an animation of Norway’s Viking row across the bottom of the screen. Haaland now has more than 60 million Instagram followers, surpassing Manchester City’s following, and has gained nearly 19 million of those followers in the last 30 days.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a cartoon series around him, right?” joked Matt Winkler, an American University sports analytics and management professor who previously aided media operations for the U.S. Soccer Federation. “He’s perfect for animation.
“He stands out like nobody else. And we’re in a different world now. Things go viral faster.”
Across social media, Americans have been delighted by this enormous character who scores goals with a robotic precision but is funny and does not take himself seriously off the field.
“To be honest I never even liked soccer until this man Erling Haaland showed up,” one fan wrote on X, accompanied by a video of Haaland scoring a header against Brazil.
Another wrote, “you have met me at a very norwegian time of my life,” alongside a GIF of Haaland eating a turkey leg.
Haaland’s physical qualities are unique in soccer and drawing plenty of attention from his American audience, many of whom can’t quite believe that a man who appears built for the gridiron has such deft abilities on the pitch.
One newcomer to the Haaland experience learned on his Wikipedia page that when he was 5 years old, Haaland set a world record for standing long jump in his age category by jumping a stunning 5 feet 4 inches.
“A kindergartner jumping as far as I am tall!” the user wrote. “Terrifying little Viking child.”
Even other athletes have gotten swept up in the summer of Haaland.
On a Yahoo Sports show Thursday, former NFL player Julian Edelman compared Haaland to Rob Gronkowski, a similar physical freak of nature who starred for the New England Patriots as a tight end — and is known for his outgoing, fun-loving personality.
“That dude’s full European Gronk,” Edelman said. “He’s European Gen Z Gronk.”
While speaking with reporters Thursday, Haaland seemed delighted by his newfound popularity in the United States.
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“I think it’s a good thing,” Haaland said. “I like the Americans. I think they are kind of hilarious. They are funny. I like the way they are.”
Haaland, of course, has long been a beloved presence in Norway, so Norwegian fans find it equally hilarious that he is so rapidly becoming an American superstar.
“You almost don’t perceive him the same way,” said Joe Hammond, an Oslo native traversing the U.S. following his home side. For those in Norway, he doesn’t come off in the same goofy manner — or at least, he hasn’t always.
With German club Borussia Dortmund as a teenager, Haaland often appeared disgruntled, a terse response awaiting any fan or reporter who approached. Only in recent years did he develop an outgoing social media presence, blossoming from joke Snapchat videos, which are still alive and well.
“He almost became this outgoing leader kind of guy for us,” Hammond said. “Even when he’s back in Norway, though, he isn’t this joking on social media and Snapchat.”
So maybe the U.S. has drawn more out of him, whether it be the New York deli sandwiches he has tried or the cowboy hat and boots he became fascinated with while in Dallas for the round of 32.
Haaland now shares more of his personality on social media than most superstar athletes do, which gave his new fans plenty of material to gather on their new Norwegian favorite. On his Snapchat, Haaland posts regularly with everything from thoughts on other matches — on Thursday, he expressed his displeasure with the length of a penalty review in the France-Morocco game — to self-deprecating videos and goofy selfies.
“He’s just engaging,” said Bianca Griffin, a D.C. resident. She had never heard of the star or even watched much soccer before this summer. But it was only days after she saw a video of Haaland making a joke about flying to the United States in June that she found herself following him across his social platforms and perusing jersey retail sites. “He just doesn’t seem to take himself that seriously,” she said. “Which other athletes should try.”
In a way, it’s a science.
“He has a great team,” Winkler said. Haaland’s management, then, is just leaning into a crescendo of attributes, from his massive frame to his goofy grin. Paired with his intentional 20-second comedic clips, which he posts with enough scarcity to maintain intrigue, those traits offer the perfect allure in the modern day of social media.
“He’s young. He’s expressive. And don’t forget those huge dominating features,” Winkler said, which lend to imitating gimmicks across platforms. Thus, more videos. Reach amplifies, and with the English Premier League back by the end of August, his shelf life isn’t brief. Americans could very well continue to follow him, Winkler reasoned: “He just fits these stereotypes and these things almost as a caricature.”
Norway is the underdog against England on Saturday, so Haaland may soon be headed back across the Atlantic, away from the shores where he skyrocketed from star to sensation.
But in this World Cup, no matter how long his run lasts, there may not be anyone who has had more fun or been so resoundingly embraced.
“It’s great for our country to have a guy like that who almost represents us,” Hammond said. “Hopefully he’ll keep winning and the videos will come more.”
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