The controversy of hair "attached" to an airplane: Erling Haaland sues major airline

Manchester City star forward Erling Haaland has filed a lawsuit against Norway's famous airline, Norwegian Air Shuttle. The prolific striker's drastic decision was triggered by the company's creative yet unauthorized advertising campaign.

The Touchline reports that the air carrier illegally used the star footballer's personal brand and appearance to boost ticket sales.

What was depicted in the advertisement?

Airline marketers used photomontage to place Haaland's world-famous, signature hairstyle directly onto an image of an airplane in their promotional video:

• Above the photo, a catchy slogan praised: "We've never looked this Norwegian!"

• Thus, the company advertised airline tickets using the footballer's personal image.

However, no consent was obtained for this advertisement, neither from Haaland himself nor from his team managing media rights. Seeing his image rights grossly violated, the forward turned to the judicial authorities to resolve the matter legally.

Unstoppable productivity on the pitch

Despite the legal dispute, Erling continues to remain a true goalscoring machine on the pitch. At the start of the 2026/2027 season, the forward has recorded an impressive performance, scoring exactly 7 goals in 7 matches for Manchester City.