SHOCKING: Funny world cup memes - What They Never Told You

Move over Ronaldo and Messi, there's a new giant GOAT in town. Coming in at 6'4", and towering over many other soccer players, is Norway's Erling Haaland. He's fast become the darling of the beautiful game. And as CNN put it, "You can’t go anywhere on the internet without seeing a reel or meme with Erling Haaland’s face plastered all over it."

Fans are going gaga for Haaland both on and off the field. And here's why...

The gentle giant is a goal-scoring machine, and has placed hundreds of balls in the back of the net since the start of his professional career. His club Manchester City describes him as strong, tall, quick, good in the air and capable of scoring a variety of goals off either foot.

Meanwhile, former player and football analyst Jamie Carragher is quoted as saying, "He's a freak, he's a phenomenon."

"He has hit the back of the net at an astonishing rate in the six-years since his professional debut and his attributes mean he is the archetypal centre-forward in every sense of the word," Manchester City's website reads.

Haaland scored seven goals in four games at the 2026 World Cup, as he chased the Golden Boot. Besides those, he's scored 112 Premier League goals for Manchester City, and dozens of others outside of that.

But blasting balls into the net isn't the only reason people love Haaland. He's considered highly relatable and real. His quirky, funny, and humble personality has him going viral for all the right reasons.

"Whether it’s him buying cowboy hats in Texas, pranking people into thinking he isn’t a soccer superstar or just documenting his daily life on social media, Haaland’s personality has struck a chord with the general public, and he’s already the unofficial star of the World Cup," reported CNN.

While the BBC noted that Haaland has gone viral "for his goofy Snapchat stories, unfiltered interviews and candid vlogs," adding that he "posts selfies using the Shrek filter, captioned selfie with my twin."

It's no surprise then that his face appears on so many of the memes on this list. People just can't get enough of him...

Another reason people consider Haaland a darling is because he takes the time to engage with fans, often in the most hilarious ways.

When an Instagram user posted a video of a spring onion with the text: "Am I losing it or does this green onion look like Haaland?," the player surprised everyone by popping into the comments section.

Haaland responded by posting a gif of a dog in a car, raising its eyebrows as the car window rolls up.

Even those who don't follow soccer, and have no intention of doing so, have come to know and love Erling Halaand.

A Guardian article, titled Erling Haaland has already won one prize: the most viral player of the World Cup, argues that the "Norwegian striker’s following keeps growing, more for the content he creates off the pitch than his scoring record."

Since the start of the World Cup, Haaland's Instagram following has grown from 40 million to 60 million, as people rush to catch a glimpse of his latest antics. "His Reels in particular have been viewed more than 683m times since the start of the World Cup," reports the Guardian.

According to the Guardian, in the first week of July, searches for “Haaland” entered the UK’s overall top 10 platform searches on TikTok, "increasing more than 300% week on week and making him the most searched-for World Cup player during that period."

Many have welcomed Haaland's positive and fresh approach during a tournament that can get quite tense, to say the least. Kevin Parker, the general secretary of the Manchester City official supporters club, calls Haaland "a different sort of footballer."

“He just seems a genuinely likable sort of guy,” says Parker, “and I think that now, because of how big the World Cup stage is, other people around the world are getting the benefit of seeing what we’ve seen for three seasons."

"I think it’s absolutely fantastic," he added. "I think he gives football such a positive vibe."

Even Google has leaned into the Haaland mania. At one point, the search engine added a Viking row animation to the player's search results...

Not one to sit out the fun, Haaland wrote on X, “One thing to do today... search my name on Google,” with a winking emoji.

His time in the 2026 World Cup, and in America, may have come to an end. But there's no doubt this gentle giant will keep continue entertaining us wherever he goes. Haaland was spotted partying it up, a night before departing the United States. A viral video shows him singing along to Flo Rida's 2007 hit “Low” as his teammates hyped him up. 

“At the end of the day he’s letting people know it’s just a game whether it’s win or lose you still have to go enjoy life,” commented on fan.

“Now I love him even more,” said another. And we couldn't agree more...