Spider-Man star Tom Holland gets schooled by Erling Haaland — the humbling he needed
Tom Holland shot his shot with Erling Haaland over dinner—only to end up humbled.
Two of the most famous guys named Holland and Haaland had a very modern celebrity mix-up: one texted, the other didn’t answer, the internet lost its mind, and then both of them explained it like adults. Simple story, funny details.
The text that went nowhere
Tom Holland swung by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to plug his upcoming film The Odyssey, but before they could even get to ancient epics, Fallon asked about the viral story: did Manchester City star Erling Haaland really ghost Spider- Man?
Short answer from Holland: yes. He texted. No reply. And he’s not mad about it.
"That is exactly the type of humbling experience that is important for actors. "
Holland said he spotted Haaland in Monaco during the Formula 1 weekend, fired off a message inviting him to dinner, and got nothing back — "not even a 'I’m busy, I’m playing football'." He treated it like a good ego check and moved on.
How it actually went down
- Monaco, F1 weekend: Holland sees Haaland and texts him a dinner invite.
- Silence: Holland doesn’t get a response and jokes about the snub on Fallon, calling it a useful humbling moment.
- Haaland’s side: On Norwegian interview show A Laget, the striker says he didn’t know who the message was from and, honestly, didn’t know who Tom Holland was.
- The penny drop: Someone off-camera shouts "Tom Holland, Spider-Man," and Haaland realizes what happened.
- The follow-up: Haaland admits it’s embarrassing, says he barely watches movies, ignored an unfamiliar message, forgot about it, and now plans to text Holland back.
Haaland explains the mix-up
On A Laget, Haaland laid it out: he rarely watches films, the text came from a name he didn’t recognize, and he ignored it. Only later did he learn the Tom in question was, yes, that Tom Holland.
His own words on the situation started with an apology-colored wince: "Yes, of course. This is a bit embarrassing, to be completely honest. We were in Monaco at the Formula 1, and then I got a message." Once the "Spider-Man" ID clicked, he understood the brouhaha, said he’d forgotten about the invite, and added that he plans to reach out now.