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Manchester City star Erling Haaland has spoken about his unusual exchange with Hollywood actor Tom Holland, explaining how he dealt with an unexpected transfer approach for Tottenham. The Spider-Man star tried to use his star power to tempt the Norwegian to north London before Haaland eventually joined the Etihad Stadium.

Spider-Man’s failed recruitment drive

The worlds of Hollywood and the Premier League came together in an unexpected way when Holland, famous worldwide for playing Spider-Man, tried his hand at acting as a football agent. A committed Tottenham supporter, Holland contacted Haaland during the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, when the striker was one of the most sought-after players in world football after a 41-goal season at Borussia Dortmund.

Haaland later spoke about the incident on his YouTube channel, making it clear that he was not deliberately being dismissive towards the film star. The City forward admitted that, at the time of the first message, he did not know who Holland was.

“That's the Spider-Man guy, and I don't watch Spider-Man,” Haaland said, while describing the message he had received.

The 26-year-old striker said it read: “'Hiya mate, just saw you in Monaco. If you want to grab a drink or something, give me a shout. And please come join Spurs.'”

A diplomatic rejection for Spurs

Although Haaland’s eventual move was to Man City, where he has since shattered numerous records, he did reply to the actor after he understood who had sent the message.

Haaland wanted to set the record straight after reports claimed he had bluntly brushed Holland off as just “a random person.”

“I said it in a funny way, but it got taken out of context,” Haaland explained. “I sounded a bit rude, so I sent him a message because I felt bad.”

He then revealed the exact message he sent to the actor to smooth things over: “There's a story going around that I was ignoring you. I just wanted to make sure you know that wasn't my intention. And by the way, I'm not too sure about Spurs at the moment, but who knows in the future?”

Holland’s humbling experience

Speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Holland joked about how little impression he made on the world’s best striker. “That is exactly the type of humbling experience that is important for actors,” Holland said, laughing off the fact that his celebrity status meant nothing to the City forward.

The timing of Holland’s remarks also came amid international disappointment for Haaland, after England had recently beaten Norway 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup quarter-final. That made Holland wonder whether the dinner invitation was still open. “I don't think he would have dinner with me after the other day,” the actor said, while acknowledging that Haaland would probably still be “hurting” from the defeat.

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Dinner plans finally move forward

Even with the awkward start and the rejection of a move to Tottenham, it now looks like a friendship is beginning to take shape. After seeing clips of Holland’s interview spread on Instagram, Haaland decided it was time to finally accept the offer that had been waiting in his inbox for years.

In a comment that soon went viral among football and film fans alike, Haaland tagged the actor and wrote: “Dinner invitation accepted. A little late. Just name the place!”