Norway are set for a date with destiny as they prepare to take on England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday. The Vikings have made it to the last eight on the global stage for the first time in their history and will be in contention for a podium spot if they win in Miami.
Leading the charge for them will once again be enigmatic striker Erling Haaland. The striker already has seven goals in the tournament and is firmly in the race for the golden boot, despite being rested in Norway’s final group stage game against France. Two of those strikes came late on in a history-making Round of 16 clash against Brazil that sent the five-time champions crashing out of the tournament.
Funnily enough, the 25-year-old is already dominating headlines ahead of the England clash, but for reasons far from the football pitch.
In a recent picture uploaded by Haaland on his Snapchat, the Manchester City striker is seen sitting in the Norway dressing room in his training gear. Haaland is sporting his usual blonde ponytail and has a characteristic deadpan look on his face, but there is one particular feature that has truly caught eyeballs.
From the otherwise swept back hair, there is a strand that has let loose and falls perfectly over his face. Such is the positioning of the lock that it feels borderline intentional and a stylistic choice rather than a sign of unkempt hair. But that is not even the most absurd part of it all.
The face-framing tendril has caused the internet to hilariously compare Haaland’s hairstyle with pop-star Zayn Malik. The former one-direction star is notoriously made grooming history at the 2014 American Music Awards by stepping onto the red carpet with a single, strategically placed strand of hair hanging down his forehead.
Okay zayn malik 🤔🤣 pic.twitter.com/GJnGH58b2U
— sage (@iluvhaaland) July 9, 2026
What makes the comparisons hysterical is that the loose strand of hair is as far as the similarities go between Haaland and Malik. For starters, the former is blonde while Malik’s hair could not get any darker. Moreover, Haaland is as clean shaven as they come in contrast to the musician who always sports at least a stubble and often a well-defined beard.
Haaland’s pale features as a result of his Nordic descent makes the difference even more striking. For context, Malik has a British Pakistani heritage and thereby facial features that speak of the same, even though he was born and bred in England.
Unsurprisingly, the internet did not stop at comparisons with Malik. A user on X even put Haaland next to American social media personality Cameron Dallas, who became a meme for his look at 2016 GQ event with a loose hair strand.
The triplets https://t.co/0yRjJ9vTmB pic.twitter.com/O6Vftq1y0b
— Lilium (@hi6nahiena) July 9, 2026
The comparison in this case works better because of Dallas’ equally blank expressions, but safe to say the Malik comparisons are the clear winner in the culture.
Norwegian fans will be hoping no strand lets loose in Haaland’s effort come Saturday, with a place in the semi-final at stake. The Manchester City striker is just one goal adrift from equaling Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi at the top of the tournament’s goalscoring charts.
