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Soccer fans in China are rooting for Norway's Erling Haaland, their ‘Ha Bao'
Summary by The Trophy Club Editorial Desk Dawn Liu, Erin Tan and Janis Mackey Frayer | NBC News , as published by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS)
· July 9, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS) · view original
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Summary created by The Trophy Club Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Dawn Liu, Erin Tan and Janis Mackey Frayer | NBC News, as published by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS) Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 9, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points The Manchester City star, who stands at 6-foot-4, has become a sensation on Chinese social media. In a surprising turn of events, Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland has gained a large following in China.
In a surprising turn of events, Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland has gained a large following in China. The Manchester City star, who stands at 6-foot-4, has become a sensation on Chinese social media. Fans have given him the affectionate nickname "Ha Bao," which means "Baby Ha."
Haaland's popularity in China is notable, especially since there are no Chinese players in this year's World Cup. His fans have created viral memes using his facial expressions, comparing him to a cartoon character.
Further details about Haaland's rise to fame in China are available from NBC News, including comments from Chinese fans who have been won over by his skills on and off the pitch.
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NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS) reported and published this story. The Trophy Club selected it, summarised the key facts above, and links to the original. We did not report this story and we added no reporting of our own to it.
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Category: News Published: July 9, 2026 Source: NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS) Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? In a surprising turn of events, Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland has gained a large following in China. The Manchester City star, who stands at 6-foot-4, has become a sensation on Chinese…
When was this published? This article was first published on July 9, 2026 by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS) and curated for The Trophy Club readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Dawn Liu, Erin Tan and Janis Mackey Frayer | NBC News at NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS). To learn more about how The Trophy Club selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
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