Erling Haaland of Norway celebrates his score during the group I match between Norway and Iraq at the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Boston Stadium in Boston, the United States, June 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

Norwegian football star Erling Haaland has emerged as an unlikely yet highly effective source of online buzz in China. His recent campaigns for Norwegian salmon and Wang Lao Ji's international brand WALOVI - tapping into the contrast between his disciplined athlete image and unexpected comic persona - have made him a social media talking point among Chinese consumers.

Chinese social media users have seized on the contrast, quickly turning the campaigns into material for jokes, memes and product discussion, the Global Times found in a review of social media posts on Sunday.

On June 3, the Norwegian Seafood Council launched the "Haaland: I Choose Salmon from Norway" campaign in Shanghai, with the footballer serving as a promotional ambassador for Norwegian salmon in the Chinese market. As part of the campaign, Haaland appeared in video ads and print materials, while Haaland-themed posters, display boards and standees were placed near refrigerated salmon counters in more than 750 offline stores through the end of July, according to the council's official WeChat account.

On Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, many users posted photos of Haaland displays spotted near salmon counters, while others asked whether the same products were available in cities such as Nanjing, Chongqing, Tianjin and Wuhan, the Global Times found. 

Haaland's fierce facial expressions on the pitch have long made him a meme among many Chinese fans, some of whom jokingly say he looks as if he is about to "eat someone." The salmon campaign gave that familiar joke a lighter turn by tying his fierce image to his publicly stated love of Norwegian seafood.

The Norwegian Seafood Council said Haaland represents the "Seafood from Norway" brand as a seafood ambassador, and its partnership with Haaland and the Norwegian Football Federation has been extended through autumn 2028. Haaland also said a healthy diet is important for performance and recovery, and that Norwegian seafood is "such a big part" of his diet, according to a press release by the Norwegian seafood council.

For many Chinese social media users, the salmon endorsement looks like Haaland "playing himself," as Norway, salmon, elite sports nutrition and Haaland's self-disciplined public image sit naturally together. For a premium imported food seeking stronger recognition in China's fresh-food retail market, the link is direct and easy for consumers to understand, analysts said.

The Wang Lao Ji campaign went viral for its sharper contrast. On June 8, the striker, whose Transfermarkt market value is 200 million euros, said in an Instagram video that he had become global brand ambassador for WALOVI, the international brand of Chinese herbal tea brandi.

In the campaign, Haaland appears in scenes built around Chinese herbal tea, summer heat, football watching and the slogan "Beat the heat, drink Wanglaoji."

The sight of a Nordic football powerhouse earnestly speaking Mandarin and performing in a highly localized Chinese beverage ad created an immediate comic contrast. The campaign song, built around a repetitive "ha-ha-ha" rhythm, plays on the sound of Haaland's name and the Chinese verb for drinking, giving users an easy meme hook.

Many Chinese users said the tune was hard to get out of their heads, joking that they found themselves humming it while walking or eating.

The Wang Lao Ji campaign also fits Haaland's broader advertising image in the Chinese market. Earlier China-facing campaigns for brands such as Clear, a hair-care brand under Unilever, and Midea, a Chinese home-appliance giant, had also used his powerful athlete persona for exaggerated comic effect, helping turn his serious on-field image into a repeatable source of online humor.

This year's World Cup has added another layer of visibility to Haaland's commercial appeal. Norway have returned to the tournament for the first time in 28 years, and Haaland, making his World Cup debut, has quickly become the focal point of the team's campaign after scoring four goals in Norway's first two group matches and helping the side reach the knockout stage.

Global Times