BOSTON — If things had gone differently, Erling Haaland might have played in England’s match against Norway in Miami on Saturday, rather than the other way around.
Haaland was born in Leeds in the summer when his father Alfie moved from Leeds United to Manchester City. Holland has dual citizenship. In recent years, the English Football Association has been trying to contact any eligible player in their system as early as possible. In Haaland’s case, they were defeated by Norway.
“When he broke into the first team he was pretty much already in the Norwegian youth system,” former England manager Gareth Southgate said in 2020. “We’re recruiting players early, but we wouldn’t have been interested in him when he was still in Yorkshire, that’s for sure.
“We always try to keep track of things like that, but I think in this case he was involved with Norway quite early on and I think with players like him, they’re also very clear where they want to play. He feels this loyalty to the country he’s playing for now and you always have a lot of respect for that.”
When Alfie Haaland’s career in England ended in 2003, the family returned to Norway. Soon after, Haaland Jr. was recruited into Bryne’s youth system, and by 2015 he was playing for Norway’s under-15 team.
In truth, England never stood a chance.
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“I lived in England for three and a half or four years,” Haaland said in an interview last season. “I lived in Norway for so long that it was natural for me to choose Norway.
“Maybe if my father had played longer in England or somewhere else, maybe I would be English – I don’t know. But I’m Norwegian and proud of it.”
England’s loss is Norway’s gain. Haaland scored 16 goals in UEFA qualifying, helping Norway win the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. He now has seven points from four games, including one in Norway’s first-ever World Cup knockout victory over Ivory Coast and two more against Brazil as they reached the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
There is an argument that no matter what else Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe or Harry Kane achieve at this World Cup, Haaland is still the player of the tournament. While Messi, Mbappe and Kane are surrounded by other stars, Haaland is part of a national team that was ranked 31st in the world by FIFA before the World Cup. Of the eight teams that reached the quarter-finals, Norway is in last place.
Erling Haaland’s superb performances for Norway this summer have captured the imagination of the World Cup audience worldwide. PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
Of the four stars to score six or more goals in the quarter-finals, Haaland touches the ball less than anyone else per match (25.0 times, compared to Kane’s 25.4, Mbappe’s 49.2 ahead of Thursday’s France v Morocco game and Messi’s 67.0), but his real impact can be seen in how few touches he takes per goal. Haaland averaged just 14.3 touches per goal. Kane (21.2), Mbappe (35.1) and Messi (41.9) enjoy the ball more before hitting the net.
The big Norwegian also outperformed his xG (4.4) on seven goals – Kane is 3.4 xG with six goals, Messi is 5.1 with eight goals, Mbappe is 4.1 with seven goals – the same as his peers, with his seven coming from just 12 shots on target, according to ESPN Global Sports Research.
It’s not just the magic on the pitch, but also how ubiquitous the Manchester City and Norway striker is at this tournament. Google even added special animation to its search page. If you look at Haaland, at the bottom of the results you’ll see a small group doing the Viking Row, rhythmically sliding across the screen to the sound of drums.
Haaland’s ability to score from virtually nothing is what sets him apart and what makes Norway so dangerous, as Brazil discovered.
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Holland: All pressure will be on England in quarter-finals
Norway benefited from Haaland performing at his best, but there were times last season when it looked like he might arrive in North America this summer underprepared. He did not feature in Manchester City’s FA Cup tie against Newcastle in March as Pep Guardiola decided his star striker would be better off training on his own in Manchester.
During the March international break, Norway decided the 25-year-old needed an extra break and, instead of playing in two matches against the Netherlands and Switzerland, he was asked to appear in just one. Head coach Stale Solbakken said it was “special treatment” and it came shortly after Haaland went an entire month without scoring a goal in all competitions.
City have long been concerned that he is taking longer than usual to regain his sharpness after injuries and setbacks due to the shape and weight of his body.
After scoring a signature goal in April’s hat-trick against Liverpool, assistant manager Pep Lijnders subsequently said it was that kind of strike – running over a defender and heading into the net – that showed Haaland was rediscovering his edge. It was almost an exact replica of his first match against Brazil: a wandering walk followed by a burst and a powerful header into the net.
Haaland made 52 appearances for the club during last season’s grueling campaign and the fact that he was able to reach the World Cup at such a high level owes much to the way he looks after himself.
Erling Haaland has now scored seven goals on Norway’s way to the quarter-finals. Is it possible to stop him? Nicolo Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
Haaland learned the ropes when he left home at 16 to sign for Molde. His family helped him settle in for two days before leaving him alone. He is so committed to his diet that he personally selects his steak, milk and honey from a farm shop near Manchester.
He has an ice bath, sauna and red light therapy chamber at home to help him recover after matches. He wears blue light-filtering glasses in the evenings for three hours before bed to ensure he gets a good night’s sleep.
Every day starts with collagen-infused coffee, a protein-rich breakfast and a walk. One video clip from the World Cup camp in Norway shows some of Haaland’s teammates joking about how strict he is with his diet and lifestyle.
“They complain when I do all this,” Haaland replied. “But when I score goals, they button it all up.”
This is what Haaland does best. In three seasons in England, he scored 162 goals in 198 matches. For Norway, that’s 62 goals in just 54 matches. He’s averaging almost a goal every 14 touches this World Cup. He has been criticized at times for not being involved enough in games, but his goalscoring record – 379 goals in 456 appearances for club and country – speaks for itself.
“The main thing he’s good at is in the box, which he intimidates,” said Manchester United defender Harry Maguire. “He’s not really involved in the game. I think he’s trying to make the defenders feel comfortable. If you pass out, he’ll beat you by a yard.”
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Erling Haaland’s goal against Brazil delighted Oslo
Ilkay Gundogan, who played for Haaland in the 2022-23 season when City won the treble, says Haaland has all the qualities a striker could want.
Those close to Haaland also say he has matured noticeably over the past two years, especially since becoming a father and being asked by Guardiola last summer to be part of City’s management team alongside Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Ruben Dias.
“He was the missing link for us,” Gundogan said of Haaland’s move from Borussia Dortmund in 2022. “We were already a really good team, but he was the missing link for the Champions League.
“Combining his physical strength with pace, scoring and technical ability, he has been a great solution for us in attack. He has improved since then and is arguably the best striker in the world now. It’s so hard to defend against.”
So far at this World Cup, no defense has been able to stop him. Against Brazil he faced his great Premier League rival in Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães and still came out on top. Next up is England and a meeting with City teammates Mark Guei, John Stones and Nico O’Reilly. By facing Haaland in training every day, they will know exactly what challenges await them.
They might have liked to see him wearing England white rather than Norway red on Saturday, but Haaland would have it no other way.