Erling Haaland, the striker who put Norway in World Cup history
Erling Haaland festeja uno de sus goles. Su doblete ante Brasil metió a Noruega, por primera vez en la historia, en los cuartos de final de una Copa del Mundo.
There are footballers who carry a country on their backs, and in Norway that weight has a first and last name. Erling Braut Haaland, the Manchester City striker, has just delivered the greatest feat in his national team’s World Cup history and confirmed why he is considered one of the best number nines on the planet. Behind the goalscorer lies a story of athletic roots, a career of dizzying ascent and even an unexpected link with Argentine football.
A striker born in England who chose Norway
Although he plays for the Norwegian national team, Haaland was born in Leeds, England, on July 21, 2000, while his father was playing for the city’s club. When he was three, the family returned to Bryne, his parents’ hometown, and there the boy who today, about to turn 26, moves headlines around the world put down roots. His original surname was Håland; he adapted it to “Haaland” so it would be easier to pronounce outside Norway, a detail that says quite a lot about a career that was thought early on for the global stage.
Athletic blood: the family behind the goalscorer
The talent did not fall from the sky. His father, Alf-Inge Håland, was a professional footballer, played in England and competed in a World Cup with Norway; his mother, Gry Marita Braut, was a national heptathlon champion. From that mix of power and coordination came a striker of almost 1.95 meters who combines strength, speed and a stride that is difficult to stop. The football vein continues in the family: his cousins Jonatan Braut Brunes and Albert Tjåland are also professional players.
From Bryne to Manchester City: an unstoppable rise
He made his debut for Bryne’s first team at just 15 and did not stop from there. He passed through Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Molde and made himself known in Europe at Red Bull Salzburg: in his Champions League debut, he scored a hat-trick against Genk, a warning of what was to come. In 2020 he arrived at Borussia Dortmund and wasted no time: he came off the bench in his first match and scored three more goals, starting a scoring average that became a phenomenon. That same year, he became the first Norwegian to win the Golden Boy, the award for the best young player on the continent.
In 2022 he made the move to Manchester City, and his first season in England was devastating: 36 goals, a record for a Premier League campaign, and the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. That year he was chosen as Europe’s best player. Norway’s all-time leading scorer since 2024, when he broke a record that had stood for 87 years, he signed a contract with City in January 2025 until 2034, one of the longest deals remembered in elite football.
Norway’s path in the World Cup
To reach that date with history, the Nordics followed a path that grew stronger as it went on. In the group stage they finished second behind France, with a high-speed debut: a 3-2 win over Senegal. In the first knockout round, they left Ivory Coast behind with a 2-1 victory, with goals from Antonio Nusa and Haaland himself, who appeared once again to tip the balance. The striker arrived at the clash with Brazil with five goals already, as the man who had to be stopped at all costs.
The night that left Brazil out of the World Cup
The most resonant chapter came in the round of 16. At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Norway beat Brazil 2-1 with both goals from Haaland: first a header after a precise cross, around the 80th minute, and then a violent low shot from the edge of the box, near the end. Goalkeeper Örjan Nyland completed the job with several saves, including a penalty stopped from Bruno Guimarães, while captain Martin Ødegaard pulled the strings of the team. With that victory, Norway reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup for the first time — its previous ceiling had been the round of 16 in 1998 — and knocked out the five-time champion side coached by Carlo Ancelotti. The blow left an eloquent image: Neymar, who pulled one back from the penalty spot at the end, later announced his retirement from the Brazilian national team. With his brace, Haaland reached seven goals in the tournament and drew level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé at the top of the scorers’ table. In the quarterfinals, Norway awaits the winner of Mexico-England.
The Argentine wink: why he sympathizes with Boca
Amid so many European records, one detail surprises on this side of the Atlantic: Haaland feels sympathy for Boca Juniors. The link began during his time at Borussia Dortmund, where he shared the dressing room with Argentine defender Leonardo Balerdi, today a leader and captain of the club from La Ribera. It was Balerdi who showed him images of La Bombonera and the atmosphere of its fans, and the Norwegian was marked by that passion. A footballing connection that explains how a striker raised among the fjords ended up feeling affection for a club from the south of Buenos Aires.
At 25, with titles, records and a national team dreaming like never before, Haaland still has room to grow. And every time the ball falls near the goal, the whole world watches the same thing: a goalscorer who seems designed not to miss.
