Since the start of Norway‘s 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Iraq, Erling Haaland has become a central figure in internet memes across social media. These memes have grown in popularity among football fans, who find Haaland’s humor amusing and entertaining.
Erling Haaland has officially cemented his status as a global pop culture icon by actively embracing, rather than ignoring, his vast internet mythology.
When a fan directly asked the Manchester City forward on Instagram to name his favorite meme of himself, the Norwegian superstar chose a hyper-realistic video that has become legendary online.
The meme depicts Haaland sitting at a crowded restaurant table, stuffing his face with food using chopsticks, before he catches a sudden glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror and hilariously jumps back in pure shock.
And after seeing his response in the comment section of which his favorite meme was, the fans began to love him because of his funny behavior.
Bro haaland is so funny 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/MjXzWTVSCD
— ⚡️🇧🇼 (@Priceless_MCI) July 16, 2026
This viral sensation started with a slapstick comedy sketch created by Chinese content creator Jin Long, who shared the original video on his Douyin account. The original video shows a man sitting at a crowded restaurant table, stuffing his face with food with chopsticks before catching a quick glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror and jumping back in shock.
Digital creators used advanced AI face-swap technology to seamlessly overlay Haaland’s face onto Jin Long’s body, capitalizing on the long-running internet joke that the fearsome, “cyborg-like” striker is actually terrified of his own intimidating physique.
The internet’s obsession with Haaland has spawned a number of other viral trends that highlight his unique appearance and personality. One popular trend is an AI face swap of Haaland as Marlon Wayans’ character in the 2004 comedy White Chicks.
Haaland and Vinícius Júnior perform lip-sync to Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” a clip he loved so much he challenged Vinícius to recreate in real life.
Erling Haaland comments on fans comparing him to ‘Dragon Ball Z’ character Majin Buu
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 7, 2026
“I mean I don’t disagree” pic.twitter.com/jCCaXcARr6
Fans frequently compare him to the anime character Majin Buu from Dragon Ball Z, which Haaland publicly acknowledged by saying, “I mean, I don’t disagree.”
Following an intense, full-speed sprint during the World Cup, the internet reimagined him as a roaming Armored Titan from Attack on Titan, pursuing helpless opposing defenders like a mythical anime predator.
⚽️Chinese fans’ love for Haaland has gone way beyond just memes! 😂
— 要上岸的小鳄鱼 (@Ginger19990420) July 6, 2026
Check out this mini-game style video we made for him~ Move your fingers along with the Haaland song rhythm!
Isn’t this too cute?@ErlingHaaland
❤️Dare you to try the challenge too?#Haaland #哈兰德 #Habao pic.twitter.com/P4FIlRDayH
To commemorate his goal-scoring exploits, his global fan base created the viral “Haaland (Ha Ha Ha)” anthem, a chaotic parody song set to the tune of Dschinghis Khan’s 1979 Eurodisco classic Moskau.This song tells the story of a depiction of Moscow at that time like a party, vodka, and the city’s atmosphere. This song was despised by the Soviet Union government at the time, and the Soviets also prohibited the Dschinghis Khan group from performing, with their song officially prohibited from circulation.
It appears that the Soviet government accused them of bringing anti-communist elements.
However, decades later, this song was revived with the “Haaland” parody. A song that is synonymous with Haaland’s humorous and absurd moments.
From sharing selfies with a Shrek filter and calling the ogre his long-lost twin, to topping the music charts with his teenage rap group track, Haaland constantly fuels his online fandom. By leaning directly into everything from deepfakes to anime comparisons, the striker has transformed his terrifying on-field reputation into pure comedy gold.
