{"id":792499,"date":"2026-07-10T09:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/792499\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T09:31:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:31:24","slug":"why-america-has-fallen-for-erling-haaland-footballs-most-likeable-superstar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/792499\/","title":{"rendered":"Why America has fallen for Erling Haaland, football\u2019s most likeable superstar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coaching seminars held by the Norwegian Football Federation have been known to play a short video showing a 16-year-old boy taking part in a shooting drill.<\/p>\n

Footage has been captured from behind the goal and most of the 20 attempts, to be kind, are wayward. The aspiring coaches in attendance are asked if the youngster has what it takes to play for Norway.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone says no because in the video it looks like a poor striker,\u201d says Hakon Grottland, the long-standing head of player development within Norway\u2019s national association.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the distinctive blond hair, kept short at the time, provides a clue but the boy spraying shots in all directions has become Norway\u2019s talisman and the world\u2019s best centre-forward: Erling Haaland.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe that\u2019s also why he has become the best \u2014 he missed the most and trained and trained,\u201d adds Grottland. \u201cThe other thing you can clearly see in the video is that it is just Erling, a coach and the goalkeeper. The rest of the team is on the bus back to the hotel but Erling wanted to keep getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haaland is now the most prominent figure standing between England and the World Cup semi-finals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His match-winning brace against Brazil<\/a> in the last 16 delivered Norway\u2019s greatest result last Sunday, and his total of seven goals has the Manchester City forward trailing only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.<\/p>\n

The last month has been Haaland\u2019s big bang. For all the goals he has plundered across elite competitions, such as the Premier League, Champions League and Bundesliga, his enormous impact on this World Cup (Norway\u2019s first since 1998) has propelled him to new heights of stardom. The United States \u2014 and wider world \u2014 is wide awake to Haaland\u2019s vast appeal.<\/p>\n

And it is not just his attacking talents. Haaland has been the World Cup\u2019s biggest personality; a self-deprecating, smiling figurehead<\/a> that has seldom looked happier than in a golden month with Norway. He orchestrated the post-match celebrations by banging the supporters\u2019 drum after beating Brazil and then, in a moment that typified his unserious side, came for those who doubted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to seeing you, Wayney boy,\u201d Haaland chuckles in his latest YouTube video responding to Wayne Rooney\u2019s promise, made during his punditry role on the BBC, to row down Liverpool\u2019s River Mersey if Norway were to reach the quarter-finals. \u201cThat\u2019s all I want to see now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most outside of England, though, would not be against seeing more from Haaland in this World Cup. A Norway team whose initial targets were to escape a tough group that included France and Senegal has aspirations of reaching the last four and it is Haaland\u2019s contributions that are making it all possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has this ability to blend,\u201d says Geir Jordet, professor of psychology at the Norwegian School of Sport Science. \u201cOn one side this professionalism, this single-mindedness, machine-like orientation to prepare, develop and score goals. That\u2019s part of the fascination for everyone that sees him in games.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other side is this player that is so relaxed, so fun and a team player. The simplest illustration of that is when his team-mates score goals. His joy is real. He seems genuinely more happy when his team-mates score than when he scores himself. We can all list players where that is definitely not the case. To have that blend is very unique.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone sees his warmth and empathy with team-mates and opponents, with contagious smiles and affectionate bear hugs. Youth coaches of his speak about how even at a young age, everyone wanted to be near him because of this magnetic personality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grottland can attest to that.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorway is very proud of him,\u201d he says. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy with a big smile, a lot of positive energy. He would make his team-mates feel very comfortable. There\u2019s something about the togetherness that you see in Erling and the other players. It\u2019s quite unique for our national teams. It\u2019s fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haaland, perhaps purposely for his brand, embodies the Norway of 2026. It is a nation that has leaned into this Viking heritage, with a pre-World Cup photoshoot<\/a> depicting the squad as warriors and supporters rowing in unison with players and staff after victories.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The incredible photo of Norway\u2019s team dressed as Vikings (David Yarrow)<\/p>\n

The imagery particularly works for Haaland, 6ft 5in (196cm) and fond of a 6,000-calorie-a-day diet<\/a> that includes cow hearts, liver and raw milk. On his best days, he can run over opponents with brute force, but the backstory is very different.<\/p>\n

The extraordinary thing about Haaland is how ordinary his formative years were. Those early steps towards professional football would see him included in the Norwegian federation\u2019s talent camps but seldom stand out.<\/p>\n

One, held in Stavanger in June 2014, illustrates the point. Still on the books of hometown club Bryne, Haaland had been picked among the best 30 players from those born in 2000 and at the end of the camp, the coaches were asked to select a player they felt would go on and win full international honours. Not a single coach placed a mark next to Haaland\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

It was soon after that camp that Haaland began to grow. And rapidly so. His elder brother, Astor, tells the story of his little sibling growing 20cm in a year and putting on 20 kilograms (44lb). \u201cSuddenly we were the same size,\u201d he told the Viaplay documentary Haaland: The Big Decision in 2022.<\/p>\n

Haaland towers over his father and mentor, the former Norway international Alfie, and most opponents, but that late development is held up as an inspiration to youngsters in his homeland.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Haaland and his father in 2020 after he moved from RB Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund in Germany (Alexandre Simoes\/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Not that Haaland lacked confidence on his journey to the top. Brede Hangeland was Norway\u2019s national team captain when attending one training camp that included Haaland and remembers the youngster outlining his plans to be the best forward in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the 14-year-old boys there could barely look me in the eye, not Haaland,\u201d Hangeland, now Norway\u2019s assistant coach, told The Athletic last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Odegaard, Haaland\u2019s long-standing friend, has his own recollections of that confidence. \u201cYou have changed a bit,\u201d he tells Haaland in that Viaplay documentary. \u201cYou were more like a little b****** earlier. You have grown up more in the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odegaard is laughing when he delivers that assessment but he has long known of Haaland\u2019s capacity to become among the very best of their era.<\/p>\n

The numbers posted throughout Haaland\u2019s career have allowed no other conclusions. A return of 297 goals in 364 appearances for Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City has made Haaland one of world football\u2019s most feared centre-forwards and his international record is another freakish one. He has found the net in each of the last 14 games he has played for Norway, making it 62 goals in 54 international matches.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were other strikers we thought were more promising at the age of 14 but a few years later he\u2019s the best striker in the world,\u201d says Grottland. \u201cThat says a lot about talent and how it develops.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was his gift. When he was 14, he wasn\u2019t very big. He was one of the smallest players so he had to be smart in his movement and find space to be ahead of the defenders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen he became this intelligent beast. If he had the physics from the start, then I don\u2019t think he would have become this great. You see the first goal against Brazil and he has that smartness in his movement and timing. On top of that, he has extreme physics and that combined is very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goalscoring brilliance at this World Cup has driven Haaland\u2019s spike in popularity but his commercial strategy is undeniably greasing the wheels. He started a YouTube channel last September, a platform where he knowingly provides a playful insight into life away from the pitch. It is carefully edited but also provides a glimpse of a goofy, idiosyncratic figure.<\/p>\n

There has even been a nod to a new American audience in recent weeks. One episode, shot after his late winner had seen off Ivory Coast in Dallas during the round of 32, centred on Haaland visiting Wild Bill\u2019s Western Store to get kitted out like a cowboy<\/a>. A Stetson was branded with EH9 and for most of the video Haaland wore a T-shirt with the message \u201cY\u2019all can kiss my Dallas\u201d.<\/p>\n

The light-hearted takedown of Rooney this week is another episode at odds with the outwardly polished approach of the elite footballers. Previous clips recently include Haaland pretending to be \u201cthe social media guy\u201d when an unsure American asks for a photograph at their team base.<\/p>\n

Haaland opts for unpretentious social media output, too, through Snapchat and Instagram. He has likened his looks to Shrek and a Japanese anime character, Majin Buu. Neither can be considered a compliment but in landing on a self-effacing authenticity, Haaland is building a huge audience.<\/p>\n

Almost 18million followers have been attracted to his Instagram account in the last month, with analysis site Social Blade detailing that 5million of those came in the 24 hours that followed his two goals against Brazil. His YouTube channel, too, has almost 900,000 new subscribers. Googling his name on Thursday, two days out from the semi-final, even brought a special drumbeat and Norwegian emojis rowing across the screen.<\/p>\n

Haaland is clearly enjoying his time in the U.S. \u201cTo play in the World Cup, play on the biggest stage, against best teams in world, it\u2019s very special,\u201d he told reporters after Norway training on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I try to play the game like it\u2019s a training session. It\u2019s important to joke around. Everyone knows me that I like to joke, have fun \u2014 that\u2019s the key to daily life to joke around. But also train good, focus well, train well. But joke around and enjoy the moment. You just have to enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was also asked about the growing attention he is receiving on American soil. \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing,\u201d he added. \u201cI like Americans. They\u2019re hilarious. I like the way they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

That moment of international reckoning, eliminating the five-time winners, was varnished by his lead role in beating a ceremonial drum. In a moment for the meme generation, Odegaard, his captain, had passed Haaland the two drum mallets and urged him to take centre stage.<\/p>\n

For all he is as a superstar, a potential heir to the international thrones soon to be vacated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is said Haaland has no wish to be anything bigger than one member of Stale Solbakken\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n

Those in Norway see that as vindication of their coaching methods, where the best youngsters, like Haaland and Odegaard, have graduated through the National Team School. They push a \u201cno a**holes culture\u201d, where egos are not welcomed. \u201cYou don\u2019t just teach them football, you try and teach them the value of contributing to a team,\u201d says Hangeland.<\/p>\n

Team-mates and staff see those values in Haaland, now the most famous face in Norway. International breaks are likened to friends meeting up \u201cfour or five times a year\u201d, with Haaland rarely absent. The captaincy was his reward for World Cup qualification games that saw Odegaard missing through injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s amazing on the pitch but outside the pitch too, young players look up to him,\u201d team-mate Kristian Thorstvedt told reporters ahead of the England game. \u201cWe all learn bits from each other, but Erling has his own methods, and it\u2019s inspirational to see what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Haaland and Odegaard in training ahead of the World Cup quarter-final against England (Chris Arjoon\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Behind the swagger seen in the Premier League \u2014 like when singing \u201cOoh, I\u2019ve got a good feeling\u201d to the camera after Manchester City had beaten Arsenal in April, or telling the north Londoners\u2019 manager Mikel Arteta to \u201cstay humble\u201d in September 2024 \u2014 there is also a vulnerability that jars with the robotic image he used to project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I wrote my book two years ago, I wanted to interview him and asked his people about it early in the process,\u201d says Professor Jordet, who wrote Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve met him a couple of times, and I know his closest people well, so they were positive about a contribution from him, but also said he really never does such, so don\u2019t get your hopes up.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut after six months and no luck, they suddenly got back to me and said that there was one question Erling really wanted to answer, because he wanted people to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the quote he wanted out was essentially: \u2018When I\u2019m taking penalties, I\u2019m s*** nervous. It\u2019s strange if there are players who are not nervous\u2019. That\u2019s the other side of him. He\u2019s genuine and honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Haaland celebrates a goal against Iraq in the group stage (Buda Mendes\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

And they come no bigger than England. Norway had never won a knockout game in a World Cup but now stand within 90 minutes of reaching a semi-final, where Haaland could end up competing against Messi and Argentina.<\/p>\n

Solbakken called the Brazil victory, inspired by Haaland, \u201cthe greatest day in Norwegian football history\u201d, and the thousands who took to Oslo\u2019s streets in the aftermath will be back to watch tomorrow\u2019s game with England.<\/p>\n

Haaland, more than most, will carry the hopes of a nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a legend already,\u201d says Grottland. \u201cThere\u2019s never been a more popular guy in Norway.\u201d<\/p>\n

And perhaps at this World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Coaching seminars held by the Norwegian Football Federation have been known to play a short video showing a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,103818,571,563,19224,574,561,82,575],"class_list":["post-792499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-international-football","tag-manchester-city","tag-norway","tag-premier-league","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-sports-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}