​Erling Haaland stands tall at 6 feet 5 inches, a formidable presence who can make teammates feel comparatively small in both stature and talent. He has tallied seven goals across four World Cup matches going into Saturday, earning a reputation as a machine on the field. Yet among a new wave of devoted fans, he’s also been dubbed a babygirl and a princess. Haaland has exploded onto social media, drawing attention with his own posts and with memes from others that turn even casual soccer watchers into devoted followers.
His commanding physicality combined with a playful online persona fuels the craze. Fans point to his flowing blond hair, color-coordinated hair ties, and lighthearted posts, such as a Snapchat-filtered selfie in which he calls Shrek his “twin.” The stark contrast between his on-field dominance and his more carefree online presence has spurred the online babygirl treatment, a label used for endearing male celebrities or characters who come across as sensitive or vulnerable. Haaland has become a symbol of a broader trend: soccer players being consumed as pop culture figures, largely shaped by how they present themselves off the pitch.
Sarah Wilson, a baseball content creator in New York, had never followed soccer closely until now, but within the past month she’s become so hooked that she went on a sustained quest to buy Haaland’s jersey, her new favorite player. “I love Erling Haaland more than life itself,” Wilson, 31, declares in a now-viral video. “I cannot fathom being such a pretty Norwegian princess and also being one of the best strikers in all of football.” Haaland’s profile is rising to levels of fame even higher than his status as the Premier League’s top scorer. According to Wilson, the split between elite skill and a quirky, Gen Z-friendly persona is what propels him to new heights.
Haaland’s eye-catching reactions on the pitch and his distinctive look have spawned hundreds of memes. He has leaned into the virality by posting cheeky selfies on Instagram, uploading long-form vlogs on YouTube, and engaging with fans on public Snapchat stories, often joking at his own expense. After scoring twice to eliminate Brazil, he shared a smug locker-room selfie with the caption, “Well well well.” When a nearly 100-million-view Instagram video compared his appearance to a green onion, with its wiry roots representing his hair, Haaland replied in the comments with a dog GIF that conveyed a knowing eye-roll. This blend of top-tier performance and playful self-awareness continues to amplify his appeal, attracting a broad audience that spans traditional football fans to newcomers drawn by his offbeat charisma and relatable humor.