Models Gain Viral Fame and Earnings for Resembling Norway’s Erling Haaland

During the 2026 World Cup, two models have gone viral for their striking resemblance to Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland, attracting tens of millions of views on social media. Anastasia Kostromitina, a 24-year-old Russian model from Moscow, first gained attention after her mother posted a video of her mimicking Haaland’s goal celebrations and poses. The video quickly amassed over four million views and 63,000 comments, with similar clips related to Haaland’s goals against Brazil reaching around 30 million views collectively. Viewers were amazed by the similarities in their blond hair, sharp facial features, and icy gaze, sparking humorous comments about their likeness.

Kostromitina, who has worked with international brands like Clarins, Dyson, Uniqlo, and Lamoda, revealed that comparisons to Haaland began about four years ago. Initially, she went through denial and even felt offended but later embraced the resemblance as a positive association with a cool athlete. She noted that negative comments actually signaled the video’s success and increased its exposure.

Simultaneously, Julia Grop, a 22-year-old Swedish model and content creator, also became a viral sensation for her notable similarity to Haaland. She posted videos imitating his unique body language, including his famous "cyborg walk", a robotic stride with a slightly forward-tilted head and characteristic hand movements. One of her videos garnered over 3.3 million likes, boosting her social media following by hundreds of thousands during the World Cup weeks. Grop expressed happiness about the mutual benefits from the viral attention.

Both models have capitalized on their viral fame, turning their uncanny resemblance to the Norwegian footballer into lucrative opportunities and widespread social media popularity.