Soccer fans in China are rooting for Norway’s Erling Haaland, their ‘Ha Bao’

BEIJING — There may not be any Chinese players at this year’s World Cup, but China has found its own soccer hero: Norwegian striker Erling Haaland.

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The 6-foot-4 Manchester City star is a sensation on Chinese social media, where fans affectionately refer to him as “Ha Bao,” which translates to “Baby Ha.”

“I never thought I’d end up liking another footballer after Cristiano Ronaldo,” Gum Li, a 34-year-old from Guangdong province, told NBC News via a messaging app on Wednesday. “But he won me over after I watched a lot of social media videos of Haaland playing for Manchester City, as well as videos of his funny moments off the pitch.”

Chinese social media users have turned Haaland’s exaggerated facial expressions into a vault of viral memes, comparing him to the cat from the U.S. cartoon “Tom and Jerry.” Clips of Haaland sprinting across the pitch in his distinctive, forward-leaning style have also become wildly popular.

Others have shared memes comparing Haaland’s long blond hair with that of celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, saying he has changed the way they think about “blond beauty.”

Since launching his official account on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, just over a month ago, Haaland has amassed 5.8 million followers, more than the population of Norway.

In English- and Chinese-language updates throughout the World Cup, Haaland, 25, has shared his excitement over victories such as Norway’s 2-1 win over Brazil on Sunday, with both goals courtesy of Haaland.

“The numbers speak for themselves — he scores a lot of goals,” said Zhang Yihuai, a 23-year-old who has been following the tournament from Shanghai.

“I think Erling Haaland is the best striker in the world,” Zhang said. “He’s still very young, and I think he could remain the world’s top striker for the next five to eight years.”

On Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, Haaland-style hairbands have become must-have fashion accessories, with fans joking that they hope to keep their hair as perfectly intact as Haaland’s is after a match.

His massive fan base has helped Haaland land major business deals with Chinese companies, starring in an ad campaign for herbal tea brand Walovi.

He also has a timely partnership with Chinese home appliance manufacturer Midea, whose air conditioners and other cooling products have seen a surge in sales in Europe amid unprecedented heat waves.

On the Norwegian side, Haaland is promoting his country’s fresh Atlantic salmon in China, one of Norway’s biggest markets for seafood products.

Soccer fans in China have long rooted for the sport’s biggest global stars, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But Haaland’s breakout popularity is taking a strikingly different form.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is a superstar we look up to from afar,” Li said. “Haaland, by contrast, feels more like one of our close friends.”

Haaland has embraced Chinese social media’s unique style of close communication with fans.

In one popular Douyin video, Haaland — who is also known in China as the “Nordic Cyborg” — directly addressed a fan’s question about whether he is actually a robot.

Looking into the camera with a deadpan face and mischievous tone, Haaland said, “Maybe I am sometimes.”

Even his partner, fellow Norwegian Isabel Haugseng Johansen, has found success on Douyin, with about 350,000 followers on the platform.

Fans also contrast Haaland’s Nordic upbringing and passionate approach to soccer with China’s state sports system, which identifies promising athletes as children and emphasizes sacrifice.

“He plays football purely because he loves it and dreams of it. He has pride in representing his country, but he doesn’t burden himself with overwhelming pressure or expectations,” Li said. “That’s very different from many athletes in my country, who often come from disadvantaged backgrounds and see sports primarily as a way to earn a living.”

In addition to his skills, Li said, Haaland appears to enjoy “genuine friendship and teamwork with his teammates.”

“He comes across as someone who is comfortable in his own skin and completely authentic,” she said. “In many ways, he’s living the kind of life that most of us wish we could have.”