A man who eats passing trains, a giant with ball-crushing strength, a robot striker with the occasional human smile. On Chinese social media, they are all versions of Erling Haaland, the Norwegian soccer forward.

Fresh from scoring 16 goals to help Norway reach its first World Cup since 1998, the Manchester City striker has become an online obsession, with Chinese fans turning his goals, exaggerated facial expressions, and off-pitch antics into a nonstop stream of viral content.

One widely circulated clip shows the 26-year-old unleashing a shot that crashes into a defender’s face with such force that the ball visibly buckles on impact. Users quickly gave Haaland a new nickname: “ball quality inspector.”

With the tournament underway, hashtags related to Haaland have attracted more than 490 million views on microblogging platform Weibo, where he launched an official account earlier this month, as well as on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, attracting 194,000 followers within days.

Standing nearly two meters tall with a powerful physique, Haaland is often portrayed online as a “robot striker” or “Nordic cyborg,” a nod to his seemingly machine-like scoring ability.

His exaggerated facial expressions during matches and goal celebrations, often replayed in slow motion, have only added to his appeal. Among young Chinese netizens, he has become a symbol of “abstract” energy — a term used to describe something surreal, baffling, or difficult to explain.

That imposing image is balanced by his approachable side. Haaland has been spotted signing autographs while casually eating a carrot in a car, or smiling during heated on-pitch confrontations. Fans have embraced the contrast with the nickname “Habao,” or “Ha Baby.” A catchy Chinese remix dedicated to him has also gone viral, often accompanying videos of his goals.

On his Douyin account, Haaland answers fan questions, including which foods he would like to try if he were to visit the country. Asked whether he is a robot, he replies with a simple: “Maybe I am, sometimes.”

He has also joined a trending meme beside the Liziba monorail station in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, mimicking tourists who pretend to “eat” the passing train. Fans have filled the comment sections with edits of Viking-themed artwork released by the Norway team, as well as screenshots of Haaland’s more unusual expressions.

The striker’s popularity has also attracted commercial interest in the country. He has been announced as an ambassador for the Chinese herbal tea brand Wanglaoji and represents the Norwegian Seafood Council in promoting Norwegian salmon and other seafood exports.

In China, the World Cup has a long history of producing internet folklore. During the 2022 tournament, Lionel Messi’s now-famous “Qué mirás, bobo?” outburst was endlessly remixed online. Chinese fans even created a playful phonetic adaptation, roughly rendered as “give you two steamed cornbread,” which spread as a viral catchphrase.

Editor: Apurva.

(Header image: Erling Haaland in a photo posted on his Weibo account.)