Erling Haaland emerges as the World Cup’s biggest winner off the pitch

Norway may have headed home from the World Cup – but star player Erling Haaland is arguably the biggest winner from this year’s tournament. 

The 25-year-old Manchester City star has undeniably won the World Cup popularity contest, raking in millions of new fans – and having A-listers Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Tom Holland under his spell.

Despite appearing to be a towering 6ft5 “Viking” predator, off the pitch, his goofy personality and deprecating humour have taken the global stage by storm.

Online search for “Haaland” has spiked 900 per cent globally compared to last year, with the internet falling in love with his comical clips.

Such is his notoriety that more than 500 children have been named after him in Peru, with 468 named Haaland, and another 91 with his full name, Erling Haaland.

PR expert Megan Dooley, Head of PR at TAL Agency, says: “Haaland hasn’t just dominated on the pitch – I’d argue that he’s won the World Cup off it. 

Erling fans were left baffled and amused as he jetted home from the World Cup with a £560 stuffed raccoon as a souvenir

“He’s shown that he’s perfectly comfortable with being meme-able, which is a wonderfully relatable trait. 

“It’s made one of the most physically imposing athletes on the planet genuinely likeable.”

His online presence is certainly landing well, with Haaland now having the title of the top followed Premier League footballer on Instagram. 

He boasts more than 70 million fans, followed by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah with 67.1million, and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne on 26.2million.

His fame is so widespread that he’s overtaken every single Premier League club, too. 

Beating his own club, Manchester City, which have 56.6million Instagram fans, and Manchester United, who have 65.8million, he also has more than Liverpool (48.4million) and Chelsea (44million).

Meanwhile, over on TikTok, his viral clips – including him doing the famous Norway row and carrying a £560 taxidermy raccoon – have also seen him break records. 

He now holds a World Record for fastest growing footballer account on TikTok – having gone from 1.1million followers on the video sharing app to 16.3million in a matter of weeks.

This newfound internet fame is likely to prove lucrative for Erling. 

PR expert Megan adds: “Whether it’s a meme-worthy moment, his fashion sense (and Birkin collection), or his playful presence on our social media feed.

“Haaland understands that modern-day sporting stars aren’t only judged on goal count and trophies, but by the connection they build with fans after matchday.

“Brands can’t buy that kind of visibility, and a World Cup performance such as Haaland’s will have boosted his profile and engagement exponentially, which could realistically translate into sponsorships and collaboration opportunities worth tens of millions in the coming years, adding to his huge fortune.”

Despite being just 25, Haaland has already seen his net worth rocket to £74million, following his 10-year Manchester City contract extension.

The Norwegian – who was born in Leeds, when his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, played for Leeds United – reportedly earns a base of £28million a year, with goal and trophy incentives added on top.

He also has a historic £19million-per-year flagship boot deal with Nike, handles major global campaigns for Beats by Dre and luxury watchmaker Breitling, and makes roughly £8.5million annually from EA Sports as a digital cover star.

And thanks to his huge boost in Instagram following, he could also rake in cash on social media.

Megan advised: “While there’s no fixed rate to go off, a single sponsored Instagram post for someone with this kind of reach could bring in anywhere from £500,000 to over £1 million, depending on the brand, length of campaign, and its usage rights. 

“If a brand is looking for something long-term or exclusive in terms of an ambassador deal, these social media partnerships can easily run into the multi-million-pound range.”

Thanks to his huge salary and earnings, Haaland splurged on a massive £6.2million, 10-bedroom countryside estate in Cheshire.

The estate comes with a lake, an outdoor swimming pool, sprawling gardens, and a coach house and stables.

He’s also received planning permission to build a four-bay garage to house his £10million collection of supercars. 

The elite set includes a rare £4million Bugatti Tourbillon, a Mercedes-AMG ONE, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, an Audi R8 Spyder, and a Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

A source said: “It’s got everything the modern-day footballer could want and more, including historic walled gardens.

“It’s also very private, though, which means Erling can completely switch off from football when he is home.”

When Haaland wants to escape the British rain, he retreats to his £5.5million luxury villa on the Golden Mile in Marbella, Spain, or his £2.6million luxury apartment in Oslo, Norway.

But it’s not his wealth that has seen “Haaland fever” spread.

He is said to donate football equipment to children, organises reading competitions, and even donated a rare 16th-century book of Viking sagas to a local library in Bryne, Norway, where he grew up.

It was here that he also set a world record aged five – not for his football skills but for the standing long jump for Under-6s, when he jumped 1.63m.

When he isn’t watching non-stop football, Haaland loves gaming – specifically Minecraft with his girlfriend – and relies heavily on meditation, a private home cryotherapy chamber, and blue-light-blocking glasses to optimise his sleep.

His wellness routine extends to a wild 6,000-calorie, high-protein diet famously centred around cow liver and heart – but he still loves a kebab.

Since heading back to Europe after the World Cup – where he bagged seven goals in five games to become Norway‘s top scorer in the tournament in their first World Cup in 26 years – he does not appear to be wallowing in the country’s defeat.

From riding jet skis on a yacht holiday in Sicily, to attending a stylish Dolce and Gabbana event with his stunning girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen, 22, with whom he shares a son, he appears to be making the most of his success.

Megan adds: “Haaland is certainly making the most of the global spotlight the World Cup has given him, and at just 25 years old, that’s exactly what he should be doing, given he’s an athlete entering the prime of both his career and commercial appeal. 

“He’s proving over and over that success today isn’t just about scoring goals – it’s about building a personal brand that fans are excited to see and want to engage with. 

“If he keeps doing what he’s doing – performing at this level while growing his profile off the pitch – then there’s every chance he’ll follow in the footsteps of football icons like Ronaldo, Messi and Beckham, whose influence extends far beyond football into global culture and has resulted in partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands.”