Erling Haaland’s latest brand move is less about football—and more about fire-breathing, Mandarin one-liners, and a 200-year-old Chinese herbal drink going global.
The Manchester City striker has been unveiled as a global ambassador for Walovi, the international-facing version of Wanglaoji, one of China’s most established herbal tea brands. But instead of a conventional athlete endorsement, the campaign leans fully into absurdist spectacle—complete with Haaland speaking Mandarin and appearing in a string of deliberately bizarre scenarios.
In the campaign’s main video, Haaland addresses viewers directly in Mandarin:
“你好大家好，我是埃尔林·哈兰德，Walovi 的全球大使。”
(“Hello everyone, I’m Erling Haaland, global ambassador for Walovi.”)
He then switches to English to explain that he uses the drink to stay cool and refreshed, before closing again in Mandarin with the campaign tagline:
“炎热来袭，喝 Walovi。”
(“Beat the heat, drink Walovi.”)
The promotional videos are scored by a catchy remix of Haaland’s signature chant—a take on Dschinghis Khan’s “Moskau”—but with campaign lyrics sung onscreen. The Chinese lines displayed and sung in the video run repeatedly as a chorus:
“Ha‑land, Ha‑land, 天热就喝王老吉，怕上火就喝王老吉，哈哈哈哈哈，Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land，烧烤就喝王老吉，怕上火就喝王老吉，哈哈哈哈哈，Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land，看球就喝王老吉，怕上火就喝王老吉，哈哈哈哈哈，Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land，Ha‑land, Ha‑land，喝王老吉，怕上火就喝王老吉。”
(Transliteration / rough reading: “Ha‑land, Ha‑land, tian re jiu he Wang Lao Ji, pa shang huo jiu he Wang Lao Ji, ha ha ha ha ha, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, shao kao jiu he Wang Lao Ji, pa shang huo jiu he Wang Lao Ji, ha ha ha ha ha, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, kan qiu jiu he Wang Lao Ji, pa shang huo jiu he Wang Lao Ji, ha ha ha ha ha, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, Ha‑land, he Wang Lao Ji, pa shang huo jiu he Wang Lao Ji.”)
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Rendered in plain English within the ad’s chorus, the lines translate roughly to: “Haaland, Haaland — hot day? drink Wang Lao Ji; worried about ‘internal heat’? drink Wang Lao Ji; ha ha ha — Haaland, Haaland — at BBQs? drink Wang Lao Ji; worried about ‘internal heat’? drink Wang Lao Ji; watching football? drink Wang Lao Ji; worried about ‘internal heat’? drink Wang Lao Ji; Haaland, Haaland — drink Wang Lao Ji; worried about ‘internal heat’? drink Wang Lao Ji.”
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Elsewhere, the visuals border on surreal. Haaland is seen in a rotating set of high-energy vignettes—on the pitch, at a barbecue where he appears to breathe fire, and casually watching football with friends—each moment tied together by the remix.
The creative direction signals a clear attempt to bridge East-West audiences through internet-native humor, while positioning Walovi as a culturally exportable product. Marketed as a caffeine-free herbal tea with origins dating back to 1828, the drink has long been a staple in China.
In another post, shared by Walovi, Haaland addresses the audience in Mandarin, “大家好，我是王老吉瓦路维，专球太炎炎，Erling Haaland,” which translates to “Hello everyone, I’m Wang Lao Ji Walovi, a striker for the whole pitch, Erling Haaland.” He then goes on to say, ” For me, every moment on the pitch and every all-out effort calls for staying cool and fearless in the heat. WALOVI keeps me cool, refreshed and ready for every challenge on the pitch. This year, together with WALOVI, let’s stay cool, refreshed and passionate about everything we do. I’m Haaland, proud ambassador for WALOVI! WALOVI, we love it!”
The multilingual angle is not entirely unexpected. Haaland already speaks fluent Norwegian and English, along with German from his time in Austria and at Borussia Dortmund. Still, the use of Mandarin in a commercial campaign underscores the increasing importance of China-facing branding for global athletes.
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For Haaland, the partnership adds to a rapidly expanding commercial portfolio ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup—his first on the international stage with Norway. It also follows a recent Nike campaign featuring Hollywood actor Channing Tatum playing a fictionalised version of the striker, further cementing his crossover appeal beyond football.
More broadly, the Walovi campaign reflects a growing trend: Asian heritage brands tapping globally recognisable athletes to reposition themselves for younger, international audiences. Rather than diluting their identity, these campaigns often amplify cultural specificity—leaning into language, history, and even eccentricity—to stand out in a crowded attention economy.
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