Russian Model's Uncanny Resemblance To Footballer Erling Haaland Leaves Internet Stunned

Erling Haaland, one of football's biggest global stars, is currently leading Norway's charge at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Scandinavian nation has enjoyed an impressive campaign and has reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, where it is set to face England for a place in the last four. 

While Haaland continues his quest for World Cup glory on the pitch, the Manchester City striker has also found himself making headlines off it after a Russian model went viral for his uncanny resemblance to him.

Model Anastasia Kostromitina shot to fame after she shared a tongue-in-cheek reel of her copying Erling Haaland's iconic expressions and celebrations. Viewers instantly noticed the resemblance to Haaland and flooded the comments with jokes about the two being related.

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A post shared by Anastasia Kostromitina (@nas__kos)

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The reel has since pulled in over 14 million views. One user wrote, "They look a lot alike." 

Another added, "Well, how can two people be so similar." 

Someone else commented, "Incredible resemblance!!! And acting skills." 

"Ask your parents, for what purpose did you separate from your brother?" read a comment. 

A viewer remarked, "I want Erling to see this." 

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A post shared by Мария (@mariya___kos)

While initially dismissing the comparisons to Haaland, Anastasia has now decided to lean into the joke. In an interview with The Sun, the model confessed, "If I'm honest, I went through all the stages of denial. At first I didn't understand how I looked like him. Then I was a little offended. But now I realise that being similar to such a cool athlete – even just physically – is actually not bad at all, so I decided to play on it." 

She added, "As soon as the haters appeared in the comments, I realised the video had properly hit the trends. But there are way more kind comments. It's nice, haters don't bother me, they just boost the activity.”

The viral moment comes at a time when Norway is set to take on England in a crucial World Cup quarter-final on July 11. The opponents will be hoping to shut down Haaland, who's in the running for the Golden Boot with 7 goals in 5 games. He scored twice against Brazil in the Round of 16 to take his team to the quarter-finals for the first time in the nation's history.

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