When did Vikings become Cute?

...and what we can learn from Haaland's viral popularity

💜 Ok! Unless you've been hiding under a rock over the last couple of weeks, you've probably seen ⚽ Erling Haaland absolutely everywhere.

Now, I'll admit, our household watches a lot of soccer, so I was already familiar with Haaland.

My son and daughter are Manchester City FC supporters, so I've heard plenty about him over the years. But what's been fascinating isn't his football... it's watching the rest of the world suddenly fall in love with him.

His social media has exploded. People who had never heard of him a month ago (or cared about the Norway team) are suddenly sharing memes, quoting interviews and joking that they've been "fans for three days." And honestly, I love seeing it happen.

It also reminded me of something he posted four years ago...

The football got people to notice him.
His personality gave them a reason to stay.

Back in 2022, Norway failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. While every one of his Manchester City teammates headed off to represent their countries, Haaland stayed behind.

Instead of disappearing for a few weeks, he created a brilliant content video showing himself training alone while everyone else was living the dream at the World Cup. It was funny, self-aware and incredibly well produced. Looking back now, it almost feels like a glimpse into the personal brand he's continued to build ever since.

Fast forward four years and the story is completely different. Norway not only qualified for the World Cup, but went on to make their deepest run in the tournament in decades.

Along the way, Haaland's personality reached millions of new people. His social media following skyrocketed, not simply because he's one of the world's best footballers, but because people genuinely enjoyed getting to know the person behind the player.

And I think there's a really important lesson in that.

We often assume that community is something you build by asking people to join you. We launch Facebook groups, start new classes or memberships, inviting people to follow our pages, hoping they'll eventually feel connected to what we're doing.

But I don't think community starts there.

I think community starts when you consistently invite people into your world...

When you share the journey instead of just the destination.

When you let people see the behind-the-scenes moments, your personality, your sense of humour and even the setbacks along the way. Those are the moments that create connection. 

I think that's something all of us can learn from, whether we're building a dance studio, running a business, representing talent or growing a brand.

People don't just buy what you do anymore.

They connect with your values, your brand story and the way you make them feel. Community isn't built through a single post or one viral moment. It's built over time by consistently inviting people into your world and letting them come along for the ride.

Maybe that's why Haaland feels like such an overnight success right now.

Because while the world has only just discovered him...

He's been showing us who he is all along.

✨Thanks for reading xx Josephine