Artist Rudy Willingham has gone viral for transforming football star Erling Haaland into ordinary household objects. His video, "Erling Haaland memes IRL," exploded across TikTok and Instagram using a paper-cutout style to blend the striker's intense game faces with mundane surroundings—a trend heavily fueled by Haaland's massive spotlight during the World Cup.
The visual puns hit rapid-fire: Haaland’s face sits beneath a blonde floor mop that mirrors his signature long hair, his athletic legs serve as the hands of a wall clock, and electrical outlets or elevator doors morph into hilarious extensions of the star.
The video quickly broke out of the sports bubble, shared by major outlets like FOX Soccer. Fans love it because it plays into the joke that Haaland is a "cyborg built to score goals." Best of all, Haaland himself greenlit the trend, dropping a comment with laughing emojis and proving he is happy to let the internet run wild with his face.