It’s been less than a week since Emma Kate Willman was scrolling down her social media notifications while lying on her couch in her Charleston, S.C., home. Her Instagram followers kept pinging her, saying that her celebrity doppelganger was in her comments.The blonde content creator, known for her videos on beauty and hairstyles, had drawn comparisons to Norwegian soccer superstar Erling Haaland, who has scored goals in bunches at this year’s FIFA World Cup. The Manchester City striker is second for goals (7) at this year’s tournament, trailing only Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi (tied at eight).Both Willman and Haaland share similar hair and facial structures, which has only fueled the Internet as the World Cup rages on with commenters asking if the star striker is in fact Willman’s brother. Willman has accumulated nearly 125,000 more followers across Instagram and TikTok, with over 430,000 followers now on the latter platform.“First of all,” Willman said in a recent Instagram video. “The best doppelganger you could give me is a male soccer player? Really? Can’t we just go back to when you guys were calling me (singer-songwriter) Zara Larsson?”But earlier this week, Haaland himself weighed in with a simple “Hi” and a thumbs-up emoji on an older French braid tutorial video. As of Friday, the comment has been liked nearly 2.5 million times.“Every time I went back and checked the comments, because he’s such a well-respected sports player, I mean, it just doubled in likes,” Willman said in a chat with The Athletic on Friday afternoon. “So, it was crazy.” Willman was in the middle of running errands when she was interviewed on Friday. That evening, she flew to Miami, where she’ll be in attendance for the World Cup quarter-final match between England and Norway, where she’ll see her celebrity double up close.“I’ve only been in Miami myself a handful of times at most,” Willman said. “So, it’s really exciting to go and get to see that in person. Because I’ve been just sitting at little bars in Charleston watching all the games during the World Cup. So, to be able to see it in person, I’m so excited.”Willman says she got the opportunity through Kalshi, a sports prediction market platform. The company and Willman will host an Erling Haaland celebrity look-alike contest ahead of the game, where the winner will receive a pair of tickets to the match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. If that wasn’t enough, Willman also recorded an ad with American restaurant company Buffalo Wild Wings, uploading a promo video on her Instagram page.“I’m having, quite honestly, the most fun I’ve had on social media ever,” Willman said. “Even though my whole thing is the hair and the beauty, I think that this has also allowed me to tap into more of the humor and entertainment, which I think has been so fun. I’ve had a blast, to say the least.”Willman isn’t a soccer fan, but she’s grown to appreciate the sport during this year’s World Cup. She’s originally from Long Island, New York, where she briefly played soccer at 11 years old. But she was more into gymnastics and cheerleading. Willman moved to South Carolina to attend school at the University of South Carolina.After graduation, Willman was a server at a local South Carolina barefoot beach bar known as the Tiki Hut. It was there when she started uploading videos with various hairstyles she rocked during her shifts. Those exploded in popularity online, leading her to do more haircare and skincare videos, and even sign with a talent management agency, Dulcedo.The celebrity comparisons, whether of the Swedish pop star Larsson or of Haaland, have persisted for some time. Not that those comparisons ever bothered her.“I never thought it was a weird thing,” Willman said. “We’re both blondes, fair-skinned. I think that’s where a lot of it comes from.“He’s got awesome hair, so I don’t mind.”Willman herself has gotten in on the fun, making videos where she’s tried to emulate Haaland’s hairstyles, including Dutch and French braids and his patented slicked-back man bun.