She hadn’t used Instagram in almost nine months. Then, on July 5, 2026, Isabel Haugseng Johansen posted seven pictures all at once. You’d expect most of them to look like they were taken by someone celebrating a loved one’s biggest professional moment: candid shots with big smiles and real happiness after Norway shocked everyone by beating Brazil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Within hours, some fans from Brazil found her comments section. What happened next was ugly, but not a surprise.
As you watch that, it’s hard not to feel something. People have been very careful about keeping their distance from Johansen for the past five years. When she briefly came forward, she was reminded of why she stays quiet. Given the situation, the hostility wasn’t a surprise. It hurt the country when Brazil was kicked out of the tournament, and the internet, as it often does, needed a place to vent its anger. You shouldn’t aim for your girlfriend’s Instagram feed. But things don’t usually work that way.
In all the noise, it’s easy to miss who Johansen really is. She’s not a model or famous person who liked a famous football player. She was a forward who played for Bryne FK when she was younger. Erling Haaland grew up playing soccer at the same small Norwegian club. They’ve known each other since they were kids. She was the one who reached out first, according to Haaland. This is a fact that gets lost in all the big news stories.
Based on how little the couple has shared with the public, it seems like neither of them really wants the attention that comes with Haaland’s fame. Right now, he’s one of the most watched athletes in the world. That many people follow him on Instagram is enough to make any post go viral before breakfast. But even though they have a son born in late 2024, visit Bryne often, and play Minecraft every once in a while, their life together feels purposely, almost stubbornly, ordinary. That’s not nothing. In the world of professional football, where relationships are often used to build brands, the way they act is almost like a protest.
The World Cup has made that plan more difficult to follow. When Norway makes a run, cameras look around the stands for familiar faces. Johansen was seen celebrating and looking very upset in video that is going around before the game even ends. She didn’t choose to be famous. That could be one reason she didn’t use Instagram for a long time. The fact that she went back to it so quickly during the tournament suggests that she may have thought the moment was worth it. After that, the comments came in.
In other news, there was a rumor going around on Spanish-language social media that Johansen might have Colombian roots. It got around so quickly that Colombian news outlets looked into it. It wasn’t backed up by anything they found. She was born in Norway and raised in Bryne. No interview or public record has shown otherwise. The rumor doesn’t say much about Johansen itself, but it does show how hungry the World Cup audience is for connection. For example, Colombian fans want to claim a small connection to the tournament’s biggest individual story. It makes sense, even if it’s not based on anything.
Once the noise goes away, you’ll see a pretty simple picture. A woman who grew up in the same small town as a boy who did amazing things. Who knew from the inside what it takes to be an athlete? Who built something real and quiet with someone while the whole world watched in awe? Haaland wants to make history on the field. From off it, it seems like he already knows the harder part.
