Norway's Erling Haaland looks amused during a news conference on July 9, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ahead of the team's quarterfinal World Cup soccer match against England.Marta Lavandier/AP
As someone who watches too much soccer and knows Erling Haaland as perhaps the world’s most formidable striker playing today, seeing friends and acquaintances show me viral videos of the player as an onion has been quite funny.
Despite my distaste for his club team (Manchester City is effectively owned by the United Arab Emirates, in large part to launder its image amid human rights violations), I do find Haaland very fun, especially in a sports industry where unrefined celebrity is rare. I particularly like this one:
Over the past month’s FIFA Men’s World Cup matches, fans have called the Norwegian striker various versions of “babygirl” and “princess.” The names largely come from the sharp contrast between his gigantic frame and endearing personality both on-camera and online. Haaland posts selfies with his “twin”—a low-res image of the animated character Shrek—on his Snapchat, and has a large designer bag collection—Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, etc. He is tailor-made for internet fandom.
But a lot of the most viral content is AI-generated, gets endlessly reshared, and is often uncannily accurate—including one where Haaland appears to get scared by his own reflection while eating.
We’re now at the point where news organizations and AI experts are fact-checking viral Haaland posts.
It’s unfortunate because I have enjoyed much of the internet’s newfound love affair with the player: comparisons to Dragon Ball Z villain Majin Buu, or the Heated Rivalry-inspired, if imaginary, shipping of Haaland and former teammate Jude Bellingham that has spiraled into yaoi lore fan-fiction.
The guy is showing many people how the sport, and the culture inseparable from it, can be fun. He effortlessly creates content on his own and inspires fans to run with it. We’ve got the memes and the fan fiction, so why do we need AI?
Computer, I beg you, please show me the true creativity and passion of the internet.
