Russian Model Anastasia Kostromitina “Slightly Injured” To Be Named Erling Haaland’s Twin.

Russian Model Anastasia Kostromitina “Slightly Injured” To Be Named Erling Haaland’s Twin.

by

REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov

By

Chris Lavergne

The 24-year-old Russian model who is known for her soft, svelte looks resembles Erling Haaland so closely that people call her his twin. At first she admitted it was “slightly damaged” in comparison, but has since fully embraced being called the female double of one of the manliest men in the world.

Erling Haaland with slicked back blond hair in a light blue shirt speaks at the mixed media in front of the blue FIFA World Cup backdrop.
Erling Haaland speaks to the media in the mixed area at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale during the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 9, 2026. Photo by Sam Navarro / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters.

The comparison started about four years ago, when his friend first showed him, and at first he didn’t realize how much he looked like him. Now he’s re-creating his stares, his stance, and his goal celebrations on purpose, and the similarities are getting louder.

A smartphone is held up showing a video recording of a young woman with long blonde hair touching her ear, a blurred subject visible in the background.
Anastasia Kostromitina, a Moscow-based model whose facial resemblance to Erling Haaland is widely reported, is captured on smartphone video during a photo shoot in Moscow on July 10, 2026. Photo by Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters.

Anastasia Kostromitina, 24, went viral after her mother, Russian influencer Mariya Kostromitina (known online as Mariya Kos), captioned an Instagram reel saying “Is it just me, or does my daughter look like a star?” and cutting to Anastasia nailing Haaland’s signature deep gaze and solemn pose, close to the real thing. Blonde hair, bright eyes, a sharp jaw, a game face: people began to call him his twin, “separated at birth,” “Haaland in a woman’s body.”

A young blond woman in yellow lace is standing in a studio being interviewed, with a video camera on a tripod to her left and a person holding a microphone to her right.
Kostromitina stands in front of a camera crew at the MOTION studio in Moscow during an interview on July 10, 2026, weeks after her resemblance to the Norwegian soccer player took the internet by storm. Photo by Ramil Sitdikov / Reuters.

Time did the rest. The clip started when Haaland, a 6’5″ striker nicknamed “The Android,” finished the World Cup. In the game where Norway beat Brazil 2-1, he opened the field with a header in the 79th minute and closed it in the 90th to finish off the counter-attack; Neymar’s penalty in extra time was not enough. It’s the same striker whose diet consists of beef heart, raw milk, and nearly 6,000 calories a day, which is part of why the women’s doubles frame went down so hard.

There is no family connection at all. Kostromitina is a Moscow model signed to MOTION, with approximately 130,000 Instagram followers and campaigns for brands such as Clarins, Dyson, and Uniqlo behind her. Her boyfriend has agreed to match and told her that she is beautiful anyway.

“Now I see that being like a cool athlete, even physically, is not bad at all, so I decided to play in it,” he said. “If people can laugh, why? I can be good, I can be funny.” In the interview, he added: “The haters don’t bother me, they increase the work.”

Erling Haaland wearing Norway's red and navy kit laughs happily with his teammates on the pitch after the World Cup match.
Erling Haaland laughs with his teammates after Norway secured a place in the quarterfinals by beating Brazil in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 5, 2026. Photo by Dylan Martinez / Reuters.

He supports Norway, is open to taking a selfie, and hopes that Haaland himself will reach out: “Unfortunately, no, but I hope that he will contact me.” Maybe she’ll even give him one of her Birkin bags.

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