Tom Holland spent years wondering why Erling Haaland never answered his Monaco dinner invitation. The answer, once Haaland decided to give it, was flat.
Speaking on his YouTube channel in a reaction video that has been widely picked up across football media, the Norway striker was blunt about the actor.
“Oh my god, that’s the Spider-Man guy, and I don’t watch Spider-Man.”
The Holland story dates back to the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix. The actor sent Haaland a direct message and got nothing back. Haaland recalled the message:
“Hiya mate, just saw you in Monaco. If you want to grab a drink or something, give me a shout. And please come join Spurs.”
Haaland uploaded the clip on 25 July, a week after Norway’s World Cup ended. It has passed 3.3 million views. He sat down and watched the lot: AI Viking edits, a Russian model copying his poses, an onion cropped to match his hair.
Haaland finds the Viking edits ‘unreal’
The AI Viking edits drew the biggest reaction from Haaland himself.
“The Viking videos have been unreal. It’s giving me goosebumps,” he said.
Read also: Fabrizio Romano: Eddie Howe's Newcastle era ends with immediate effect
He was just as amused by the green-onion lookalike.
“It’s exactly the same,” Haaland said of the vegetable-lookalike.
“Cuz I’ve got long blonde hair, first of all. I think it’s hilarious.”
“The memes have been… they’ve been too good. It’s been unreal,” he added.
Read also: Mbappé's two-word answer to Vanity Fair became the summer's biggest meme
“You need to just have a laugh with the memes. People take things too personal now.”
The dinner invitation Haaland finally accepted
Haaland had already made his peace with Holland before the reaction video went live. Under a Tonight Show social clip, he wrote:
“Dinner invitation accepted. A little late. Just name the place!”
He also sent Holland a longer follow-up message, which Haaland has since revealed:
Read also: Lionel Messi's strict rule for commercial shoots highlights his unparalleled market value
“There’s a story going around that I was ignoring you. I just wanted to make sure you know that wasn’t my intention. And by the way, I’m not too sure about Spurs at the moment, but who knows in the future?”
Norway went out in the quarter-finals, losing 2-1 to England on 11 July, but not before Haaland scored twice to knock out Brazil 2-1 in the last 16. His second goal against Brazil, he said, was the moment of his summer.
“Best feeling-wise, a 2-0 goal against Brazil is the best feeling.”
Read also: FIFA defends World Cup VAR call despite IFAB's "mistaken identity" rule clarification
