WHETHER you're still watching the remaining World Cup matches or not, the name Erling Haaland has been going around since early June.
Be it on the football field or on social media, the Nordic Cyborg has captured the hearts of his fans with his performances, antics and behaviour.
Haaland has also been made into the spokesperson for a Chinese-brand beverage and he was featured in its advertisement recently.
But is it true the jingle of the ad was from a banned disco track?
Verdict:
TRUE
Haaland became the global brand ambassador for herbal tea brand Walovi in June, and the ad he is in uses a tune similar to that of a song released all the way back in 1979.
The song is "Moskau" (which is German for Moscow) by German Eurodisco group Dschinghis Khan.
Ironically, while the song enthusiastically celebrated Moscow, it was banned in parts of the Soviet Union due to Cold War tensions, Western pop influences, as well as flamboyant disco style.
Decades later, fans of Manchester City adapted the melody into a terrace chant after Haaland officially joined the the English Premier League club in July 2022.
The tune was later adapted into an electronic dance track by the music project CTID called Haaland (Ha Ha Ha) after the chant went viral and was released in late 2022.
The song was also used to promote Haaland in a popular mobile game, Clash of Clans
It finally landed on Walovi's radar as the commercial jingle in June 2026, which used a remixed, comedic adaptation of the preexisting song by CTID.
You can watch the ad for yourself and compare the jingle to CTID's version here or the original version here.
Even though Norway got knocked out of the World Cup 2026 due to a loss against England, there is no denying that Haaland's charisma as his fan anthem will remain in the hearts of many for many years to come.
Sources:
1. https://www.tbsnews.net/sports/how-cold-war-era-disco-hit-became-haalands-anthem-1485201
2. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZWCChjzmjB/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyuFLU2Zqz0
4. https://open.spotify.com/track/0hwPOwj3rojFt33NhaxNUy
