Erling Haaland, a Norwegian soccer player, has become a social media phenomenon for his skills on the field and his quirky online persona. Standing at 6 feet, 5 inches, Haaland is an intimidating force who can make fellow soccer players look tiny in stature and talent.

Haaland’s Online Presence

Haaland has gained a large following on social media, with his own posts and memes from others turning even soccer novices into diehard fans. His domineering physical appearance coupled with his goofy online persona have contributed to the craze. Fans remark on his flowing blond mane, color-coordinated hair ties, and playful posts like a Snapchat-filtered selfie in which he proclaimed Shrek his “twin.”

Haaland is emblematic of a broader embrace of soccer players as pop culture figures, driven in large part by how they present themselves off the pitch. Haaland’s fans feel like they know him on a personal level, but he doesn’t know the nearly 60 million people who follow him on Instagram alone.

Parasocial Relationships

Fans’ access to athletes contributes to what is called a parasocial relationship, defined by one-way knowing. Haaland’s fans have described feeling “maternal” toward him, and some have even created edits of him with other players, drawing comparisons to television shows.

Haaland has leaned into this virality, posting cheeky selfies on Instagram, uploading long-form vlogs on YouTube, and interacting with fans on his public Snapchat stories, often poking fun at himself. After scoring two goals to knock out Brazil, he posted a smug selfie from the locker room with the caption, “Well well well.”

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.