She’s never kicked a ball on a World Cup pitch, but Russian model Anastasia Kostromitina has become one of the tournament’s most unexpected viral stars, all for looking uncannily like Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Kostromitina, a Moscow-based fashion model, has racked up more than 100 million views across social media after clips of her mimicking Haaland’s signature expressions and mannerisms went viral.
According to her, the resemblance isn’t new. She first heard the comparison roughly four years ago, when a friend pointed it out, long before the internet caught on. What began as an inside joke has since snowballed into one of the World Cup’s most talked-about side stories, with fans sharing her videos alongside highlights of Haaland’s own tournament heroics. 
“I Didn’t Know How to Act”
Kostromitina has been candid about how overwhelming the sudden fame has been. Speaking to talkSPORT, she admitted the scale of the reaction caught her completely off guard, describing herself as still unsure how to process it all. Despite the whirlwind, she’s chosen to lean into the comparison rather than shy away from it, insisting she can “be beautiful and funny.”
The model has also used her platform to speak candidly about identity and humour, framing the lookalike fame as something to enjoy rather than resist.
Haaland Hasn’t Called, Yet
Despite the tidal wave of attention, Haaland himself has stayed conspicuously silent. Kostromitina confirmed the striker has not reached out to her directly, though she hasn’t given up hope that he eventually will, and that when he does, she’d love nothing more than for it to make him laugh.
A Boyfriend Who’s In On the Joke
Viral fame involving comparisons to another man might rattle most relationships, but not this one, according to Kostromitina. She says her boyfriend finds the resemblance genuinely funny, and that his support has kept the whole situation light rather than awkward.
Beyond the Meme
The internet fame hasn’t just boosted her follower count. It’s opening professional doors. Kostromitina revealed she’s already landed new projects built around her viral persona, all while continuing her established modelling career. Rather than treating the moment as a distraction, she’s treating it as a bonus chapter alongside her runway work.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Kostromitina’s viral surge has run parallel to Haaland’s own historic World Cup run, where the Norwegian talisman scored seven goals in six matches, including a standout brace against Brazil, as Norway reached the quarter-finals in the country’s first-ever appearance at the expanded tournament. Their campaign ultimately ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat to England, but not before Haaland cemented himself as one of the tournament’s most electric performers, both on the pitch and, unexpectedly, off it through his internet doppelgänger.
For now, Kostromitina remains one of football’s quirkiest World Cup subplots, and proof that in the age of social media, you don’t need to score a single goal to become part of the tournament’s biggest storylines.
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