Seven goals, a win over Brazil, and off the pitch cowboy hats, Birkin bags and a signed shirt for Travis Scott – nobody is shaping this World Cup like Erling Haaland.
East Rutherford, 80,663 in the stands. In the 79th minute, Erling Haaland heads Norway in front from an Andreas Schjelderup cross. In the 90th, he adds another, a low strike from 18 yards, clocked at 126 km/h, placed into the far corner. Brazil are out, and Norway are through to a World Cup quarter-final for the first time in their history. “This is the biggest game in Norwegian football history,” Haaland says after the final whistle. “Usually I'm never lost for words, but this time I am.”
Then comes what has followed every Norwegian win at this World Cup: the team sits down in front of their fans and rows. The Viking Row has become the ritual of this tournament, and this time Haaland got to beat the drum himself.
Erling Haaland's first World Cup: seven goals in four appearances
Norway waited 28 years for this World Cup, their last appearance came in 1998. Haaland arrived in North America with 16 goals from eight qualifiers, scoring in every single one. At the finals, he has simply carried on: seven goals in four appearances, including the winner against Ivory Coast in the round of 32 and the brace against Brazil.
In between, a second tournament is running, one that belongs to him alone. On arrival in North Carolina, Haaland stepped off the team jet carrying a Hermès HAC Birkin 50 “Endless Road”, a limited edition worth around $45,500. His bag collection has kept the fashion world busy for weeks.
After the win over Ivory Coast, he went full cowboy in Dallas: hat, boots, and a t-shirt reading “Y'all can kiss my Dallas”. The store reported shortly after that the shirt was nearly sold out. Haaland documented the trip himself on his YouTube channel. After the France match, he handed Travis Scott his signed jersey, dedicated: “To Travis, Best Wishes!” A few days later, the rapper made him one of the five faces of his Athlete Series. And between matches, Haaland wanders through New York like a tourist, barely recognised, while his Snapchat clips are shared millions of times.
Quarter-final against England: Norway's next step
Before qualification, Haaland told Time Magazine that Norway reaching a World Cup would feel “like a major footballing nation winning it. It would be the biggest party ever.” That party has now been going for three weeks. On Saturday, it moves on to Miami, to the quarter-final against England. After the Brazil match, Haaland said: “I hope it continues.” The time of his life isn't supposed to be over yet.
