Video of Footballer Erling Haaland Being Startled by His Reflection Is AI

We found out that the video is AI-generated.

A video claiming to show Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland startled by his own reflection is circulating online. 

• The video shows the footballer eating and getting caught off guard by his own reflection in the mirror.

(Archived versions of similar claims can be found here, here, and here)

Is it true?: No, the video is AI-generated and does not show authentic footage of footballer Haaland being startled by his own reflection.

How did we find out?: We ran a reverse image search on the video using Google Lens and could not find any credible sources that shared it.

• Following this, we ran the video through DeepFake-O-Meter, an AI detection tool, which showed that four detectors flagged the viral clip as being AI-generated.

• During reverse image search, we found an Instagram account, geowiredaily, that posted a video of Chinese comedian Jin Long performing a comedic skit with the same expressions and movements as the viral claim.

• The account stated that the video of footballer Haaland is an AI face-swap.

• We ran a reverse image search on the video of Jin Long from the post and found numerous accounts sharing the same video.

• The videos were shared around 18 June 2026, long before the video of Haaland was shared.

Conclusion: The video is AI-generated and does not show authentic footage of footballer Haaland being startled by his own reflection.

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