TODAY’S PAPER | July 16, 2026 | EPAPER

Erling Haaland finally replies to Tom Holland after missing dinner invite: 'Name the place'

"Dinner invitation accepted. A little late, just name the place!" Haaland wrote


Pop Culture & Art July 16, 2026 1 min read
Photo: Reuters

Tom Holland has battled supervillains, treasure hunters and multiverse chaos on screen, but one unanswered Instagram message to football superstar Erling Haaland proved to be one of his most humbling experiences.

The Spider-Man: Brand New Day star recently revealed that he had sent the Manchester City striker a direct message inviting him to dinner, only to receive no reply.

Now, Haaland has finally responded.

Commenting on a clip from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Norwegian footballer wrote: "Dinner invitation accepted. A little late, just name the place!"

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

He accompanied the message with a laughing emoji, acknowledging that his reply had arrived well after Holland first extended the invitation.

Fans quickly celebrated the exchange, with many joking that the celebrity DM saga had finally reached its happy ending.

The story first came to light when Holland appeared on The Tonight Show, where host Jimmy Fallon brought up the unanswered message.

"You DM'd Erling Haaland and he didn't respond to you? He doesn't watch movies, so he thought that you were a random person. Now, tell us the truth," Fallon asked. "Yes," Holland replied.

The actor admitted the experience had served as a useful reminder not to take fame too seriously.

"And I'll tell you what, that is exactly the type of humbling experience that is important for actors."

Holland explained that he had even tried tempting Haaland with dinner.

"You know, I was like, 'I'll text him, I'll take him to dinner.' Not even a response," the 30-year-old said, prompting laughter from the studio audience. "Not an excuse, not 'I'm busy tonight,' 'I'm playing football,' nada."

While the message initially went unanswered, Haaland's public response has finally brought the story full circle.

Whether the pair actually sit down for that long-awaited meal remains to be seen, but after leaving Tom Holland on read for so long, Haaland has officially accepted the invitation.

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