Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has scored goals on the pitch in stadiums around the world. Now he\u2019s leaving his mark on something a little more permanent: Peruvian birth certificates.<\/p>\n
As Haaland helped Norway reach its deepest-ever run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a>, parents across Peru were busy celebrating in a distinctly local fashion.<\/p>\n According to Peru\u2019s National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC), 468 newborns were registered with his surname \u201cHaaland,\u201d while another 91 babies received the full name \u201cErling Haaland\u201d during the tournament.<\/p>\n The surge accelerated as Norway advanced to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent football stars serve inspiration for Peruvians to register their children with these names,\u201d a RENIEC spokesperson, Ivan Torres, told Panamericana Television.<\/a>\u00a0(TODAY.com contacted RENIEC for additional comment but had not heard back by the time of publication.)<\/p>\n The phenomenon might seem surprising in a country with no obvious connection to the 25-year-old standout. Peru did not qualify for this year\u2019s World Cup, and Haaland has never played professionally there. Yet his name has become the latest addition to a uniquely Peruvian tradition of treating soccer\u2019s biggest stars as unlikely godparents to a new generation.<\/p>\n More than 33,800 Peruvians are named after Brazilian soccer star Neymar, while more than 3,400 carry the name of Argentinian legend Messi, including hundreds whose legal first and middle names are \u201cLionel Messi.\u201d Portugal\u2019s Cristiano Ronaldo has inspired more than 1,100 namesakes, while Spain\u2019s Lamine Yamal has already lent his surname to more than 1,200 Peruvians, according to\u00a0figures released by RENIEC<\/a>.<\/p>\n In interviews and videos, the Norwegian striker\u00a0pronounces his name \u201cAIR-ling HAW-lahn,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0rather than the \u201cER-ling HAW-land\u201d pronunciation commonly heard in English language broadcasts.<\/p>\n \u201cErling\u201d is an Old Norse name\u00a0meaning \u201cdescendant of a nobleman,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a fitting name for a player who has become soccer royalty.<\/p>\n Unlike countries that restrict baby names, Peru gives parents broad discretion in naming their children, and\u00a0RENIEC officials\u00a0<\/a>say names are generally permitted as long as they are not offensive.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tErling Haaland has become an unlikely World Cup sensation in China, where fans affectionately call him “Baby Ha.” Here’s how the Norwegian striker won over millions of followers and became one of the tournament’s biggest global stars.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n