From Hair Braid to Haaland Hysteria: Influencer’s Viral Journey

What started as a simple hairstyle has turned into a full-blown Erling Haaland phenomenon.

Content creator Willman says the last few weeks have felt “so surreal” after a video of her braiding her hair exploded online, with millions of fans comparing her to the Norway and Manchester City superstar. The resemblance, amplified by the trademark long blond hair, sent social media into overdrive.

“I never expected braiding my hair to turn into millions of people comparing me to Erling Haaland,” she told People, still sounding stunned by the scale of it all.

The internet ran with the joke. Memes, side-by-side photos, clips of Haaland’s goals spliced with her videos – the comparison became a running gag across platforms. Then came the moment that pushed it into another stratosphere: Haaland himself joined in.

“It’s been amazing to watch the internet have so much fun with it, and seeing Erling comment on my video made the whole thing feel even more unreal,” she said. “As a creator, you never know what’s going to resonate, so I’m just grateful people have embraced it and had fun along the way.”

Haaland, speaking to the same outlet, played along with the storyline, too. “It would be pretty funny if our paths crossed in real life after all of this,” he said, leaning into the viral chaos with the same deadpan charm he often shows in front of cameras.

That crossing of paths might not be far off.

Willman revealed she will be in Miami, Florida, on Saturday (local time) to watch Haaland’s Norway face England in a World Cup quarter-final. She calls him her “twin” and would love to meet him while they’re in the same city, with the stakes of a major knockout match as the backdrop.

And she’s not just turning up to watch.

The influencer is staging an Erling Haaland lookalike contest in Miami on the day of the game, turning the build-up into a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Norway’s No. 9. The winner will receive tickets to the quarter-final, adding a serious prize to the light-hearted stunt.

On her Instagram, she laid down the challenge to fellow doppelgängers and Norway supporters.

“If you have ever been told you look like Haaland and are a Norway fan, you’re in for a surprise!” she wrote. “@kalshi is helping me host an Erling Haaland lookalike contest right before the game on Saturday for 2 FREE TICKETS TO THE GAME!

“Meet us at the location [in Miami], and bring your best Haaland moves! See you there and good luck!”

So a viral braid, a global goal machine and a World Cup quarter-final now collide in one city. The internet has already decided they’re twins. The only question left is whether Miami will deliver the face-to-face moment this story has been building toward.