WATCH: Erling Haaland’s “apology” to Mikel Arteta goes viral – but it’s not real

A viral deepfake video by DangerousAI hilariously portrays Erling Haaland "apologizing" to Mikel Arteta after a crushing defeat to Arsenal. In the AI-generated clip, Haaland jokingly claims he was "humbled," regrets signing his contract extension at Man City, and begs to join Arsenal as their No. 9.

Haaland Apologises
Youtube @DangerousAI

A bizarre and hilarious video featuring Erling Haaland “apologizing” to Mikel Arteta and begging to join Arsenal has taken the internet by storm. The video, which appears to show the Manchester City striker admitting to being “humbled” by Arsenal after a crushing defeat, is actually an AI-generated deepfake created by the YouTube channel DangerousAI.

In the clip, the AI-generated Haaland says, “Mikel Arteta, I apologize to you and your team. I will stay humble from now on, I really will. Please forgive me, uh, you didn’t have to humble me this hard.” He goes on to jokingly claim that Arsenal “clapped his cheeks” and that he regrets signing his contract extension at Manchester City, even asking Arteta to sign him as Arsenal’s new No. 9.

The video also includes a parody response from Arteta, where he boldly claims to be the best manager in the EPL, saying, “From now on, I declare myself the best manager in the EPL. I absolutely destroyed Pep tonight.”

Despite being AI-generated, the video looks incredibly real, and many fans were both amused and amazed at the level of detail. Social media quickly exploded with reactions, with Arsenal fans jokingly welcoming Haaland to the Emirates, while City supporters laughed off the exaggerated claims.

This deepfake is just another example of how AI technology is being used for entertainment and football banter. While it’s all in good fun, it also raises questions about how realistic AI-generated content is becoming.

For now, though, Haaland remains a Manchester City player—whether he’s actually regretting his contract extension is another story.

E. Haaland

Erling Håland

Forwarder

EnglandEngland

Age: 25

195 cm

87 kg

Season 2024/2025
Played 8 0 Missed
Minutes 681 85.1 Avg
Goals 6 0.8 Avg
Assist 0 0.0 Avg
Attempt 5 0.6 Avg
Passes 75 9.478.8% AvgSucc
Yellow 0 0.0 Avg
Red 0 0.0 Avg

His team is currently 5th in FA Cup. In the last match Manchester City lost 5-1 against Arsenal.

Manchester City performance and stats

Manchester City

Manager: Josep Guardiola
Top 3 Scorers
This season