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By now, those of you who have (had) access to the 2026 World Cup, the Internet, and social media would be aware that Erling Haaland is a face you can’t run away from, thanks in part to your social media feed algorithm, but mainly because of his distinctive, striking features. While Haaland once had short hair, lots of fans are now going crazy over his natural blonde locs and his branded hair ties, which he would use and match with the colour of his jersey and shorts to make it easier for teammates and opponents to identify him on the pitch, especially when it’s game time.

There’s probably one main reason you dislike him. It’s because you’ve been watching him destroy many of your favourites in the English Premiere League (EPL). But that’s outside of the World Cup setting. Even the Malay press have labelled Haaland a “pemusnah” (destroyer), after Haaland helped Norway edge over Brazil (6 July MYT) with steadfastness and calmness but also by being strategic by waiting for the right moment, ready to stun the Brazilian defenders.

Haaland’s features, and smile, and the way he carries himself are why many like him, and at the same time, these elements factor in and result in humourous user-generated Internet memes. From his slightly bent posture when he walks, to his facial expressions, to his hair, everything has been made into a meme.

The funniest meme I think has to be the green onion (as spotted at the supermarket) and how the bottom part of the green onion can be likened to his long hair.  I don’t think anyone who has seen that meme would look at green onions the same way again. And the best part of it all is Haaland’s reaction to it. He was so cool and happy about it. Not the slightest bit of anger, disappointment or annoyance. In fact, he even said “look [sic] like me”, in response to that particular meme.

Like he said, we need to have a laugh sometimes and not take things too seriously. In this case, the person being made fun of is really a class act. I mean, how many can really laugh when being made fun of, especially when you’re someone of a certain status and you’ve gone viral on the Internet? Haaland is so relatable that even those who have little to no knowledge on football are finding it impossible to get him out of their heads.

Of course, there’s the iconic, unforgettable, infectious Viking row, which can be interpreted as an Internet meme, since it’s something you do in reaction to a win. Except now, it has been applied to other contexts or situations. For example, as shown in the video, when there’s a pizza delivery staff at your door, and (s)/he needs to signal/knock before coming in to your house, the customer/person who had placed the order responds by doing the “row”, instead of responding by opening the door. Really, there’s so much you can laugh about, and the best part is watching Haaland laugh along playfully, wearing that smile across his face.

However, there’s also a dark side to all these memes, despite them being intended for a light moment or entertainment purposes. Remember “The White Chicks” scene that has been edited with Haaland’s face and his opponent Vini Jr’s face? Well, while most people/fans had a good laugh (including Haaland himself), the next day, there was some news about Haaland set to be cast in a “The White Chicks” sequel movie, understandably because of his long hair. As it turns out, it’s fake news.

There’s also the other meme depicting Haaland eating at a diner, next to a mirror, then as he unwittingly turns to the mirror, he is shocked by his own reflection. That’s unfortunately a deepfake, created by using face-swapping artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Originally meant for a comedy skit, content creator Jin Long from China used his own body and movements. But the good thing is, Haaland took this all in and laughed about it, fortunately. Sorry to burst your bubble, if you thought it was really Haaland in that meme.

Who can forget the photo of Haaland, holding a bizarre decorative item, a raccoon holding a whiskey bottle, while descending the aeroplane stairs, after arriving in Oslo following Norway’s graceful exit at the World Cup during the quarter finals? Obviously, someone must have felt really cheeky and naughty to be able to edit that photo doing a swap. In the meme, Haaland is replaced with a larger-sized raccoon, wearing sunglasses, and having Haaland’s signature man bun, blonde in colour. In turn, a slightly altered miniature version of Haaland is shown being carried.

Then, of course, there’s the viral segment on Tom Holland from the Spiderverse, who sat down with Jimmy Fallon, the King of Comedy (as part of his own programme), to explain the situation where the English actor wanted to invite Haaland for dinner, after having spotted Haaland watching a Formula 1 Grand Prix race in Monaco (but didn’t get a response through his Instagram Direct Message(DM) because Haaland thought Holland was a complete, random stranger), to much laughter from the audience, but also to Holland’s own perhaps, frustration? To put it simply, for Malaysian readers, “Aiya, why you never respond-lah?” Holland said something like, “There’s no “Hey, I’m busy with football now”” (as a holding reply). Nothing. Well, Haaland’s perhaps slightly embarrassed by what he did, but you can’t blame him because he doesn’t watch Spiderman, he’s a footballer (Haaland likes Hannah Montana though, and will watch it unapologetically). What about the fact that the audience watching that segment had more reasons to laugh because Fallon sneakily and cheekily invited himself to the dinner as well – so make the reservation for three please, Haaland, Holland, and Fallon. How about three personalities benefiting from/riding on one person’s unawareness?

Will there be more on the memes about him and his reaction? Fans are saying it’s incomplete. The four-minute video is available on his official YouTube channel.

Note: Rooted in Greek, the word meme is defined as “imitated thing”. The earliest use of the word “meme” was in 1976 by a biologist.  When applied to today’s modern Internet sphere, it can be understood as an idea, style, behaviour or piece of media (like a funny image, video or text) that spreads quickly from person to person within a culture, hence influencing as many and has the capacity to create a certain effect or movement, as the point is to achieve a share belief or identity, made possible with a lower barrier of participation. Notably, however, to create a meme, one must have a certain skill to edit photos or other media and make it cute, punchy, funny, and/or bizarre and yet relatable to get through to as many cultures. Of course, there’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help with the editing of photos and other media to make memes, but still, one’s human touch is still necessary regardless.