The last time Norway competed at a World Cup, Erling Haaland was not even born.

Yet by helping his nation reach the quarter-finals of their first World Cup since 1998, Haaland has not just chalked off a personal milestone – he has completed a mission he has carried on his shoulders for years.

Now England, the country of his birth, stand in his way.

The hopes of the Scandinavian nation rested on the 25-year-old long before he scored 16 goals across eight matches in a dominant qualifying campaign, and then seven in four appearances at the tournament proper.

This was the case even before he became the fearsome Manchester City striker he is today.

Those hopes for Haaland can probably be traced back to when, in his early teens, his talent was spotted at Norwegian side Bryne and fast-tracked through their youth teams.

That talent grew and promise intensified during a club career carefully crafted to suit Haaland, and now, having won everything to win in club football with City, he is fulfilling his destiny for the national team too.

But things could have looked different.

Born in Yorkshire, the forward was eligible to play for England. But affinity with his home country meant there was little chance of that happening, even if it meant the chances of winning something at international level – or even regularly reaching tournaments – were slim.

Choosing Norway might have meant the career no superstar player wants – one that does not involve playing at a World Cup.

Haaland avoided that fate and, after scoring twice to oust five-time winners Brazil in the last 16, will be looking to end England’s hopes of a 1966 repeat when Norway face them in Miami on Saturday.

But just what is it like being a global name from a nation with a population of just 5.5 million?

And is it really just Haaland standing between England and the semi-finals?

When then England manager Gareth Southgate was asked in 2020 whether there was a chance Haaland might have played for the Three Lions, he shut it down quickly.

“With players like him, they’re quite clear where they want to play,” Southgate said. “He feels that allegiance to the country that he’s playing for now and you’re always very respectful of that.”

Haaland was born in Leeds – where his father Alf-Inge was still based, having just left Leeds United for Manchester City – in 2000.

The family moved to Bryne in Norway three years later following his father’s retirement through injury.

The young Haaland’s talent was spotted early and he quickly moved through the youth teams at Bryne before signing for Molde in 2017, managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

He helped turn Haaland into an attacking force and has often spoken highly of his former player, expressing regret that he could not sign him when he became manager at Manchester United.

The young forward caught the eye during his time at Red Bull Salzburg before his spell at Borussia Dortmund – where he formed a close friendship with England’s Jude Bellingham – really announced him on the world stage.

His move to Manchester City came in 2022 – a transfer many felt had been inevitable given his father’s history and his own love of English football.

Yet even with his rapid ascension to stardom, Haaland continues to return to Norway frequently where he owns several properties.

“Despite Haaland’s global superstar status, he remains the exact same guy,” Norwegian football journalist Andreas Korssund told BBC Sport.

“He knows exactly where he comes from and regularly visits his small hometown in Rogaland. He is incredibly proud of his roots and always makes himself available to the Norwegian press when representing his country.”

Haaland has discussed his desire to run a farm in his home country when he retires and can frequently be spotted strolling around Oslo, where he owns an apartment.

He has leaned into Norway’s Viking history and is fiercely proud of representing his country, as illustrated by leading his team-mates in the Viking Row after beating Brazil.

It is that affinity with his heritage that has also led to him sporting his full title of Braut Haaland on the back of his national shirt – Braut is his mother’s maiden name and combining that with his father’s name is a Norwegian tradition.

“Haaland means everything to Norway,” says Korssund.

“He has become an unprecedented superstar in the world’s biggest sport. For a nation of just over 5.5 million people to produce one of the absolute greatest footballers on the planet is immense.”

When Haaland scored twice in Norway’s 4-1 opening group match win against Iraq in Foxborough, he carried not only the weight of a nation but the combined mass of all the players who did not fulfill their World Cup dreams.

Aside from reaching back-to-back tournaments in 1994 and 1998, Norway have endured long spells absent from major competition, last featuring at a showpiece tournament at Euro 2000.

That means a long list of talented Norway players missed out – Morten Gamst Pedersen, John Carew, Brede Hangeland and John Arne Riise to name a few.

But many view this current Norway team as the nation’s golden generation and, while Haaland’s statistics might suggest a one-man team, the reality is he is not the only reason they have qualified.

Captain Martin Odegaard arrived in the United States fresh from winning the Premier League with Arsenal, and has impressed in midfield with three assists.

The likes of Alexander Sorloth, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Oscar Bobb are also established top-level players, while Patrick Berg, Sander Berge and Antonio Nusa have been unexpected protagonists.

“We look at this similarly to what happened with Belgium’s golden generation a few years ago – a relatively small nation that simply bleeds football,” said Korssund.

Norway might have quality in their ranks, but nobody else transcends the sport like Haaland.

His fame is approaching that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – and Norway have never had a player like that.

It is easy to imagine a different story. One where had Haaland joined the likes of George Best with Northern Ireland, Ryan Giggs for Wales or Ballon d’Or winner George Weah of Liberia in not featuring at a World Cup.

Instead, Haaland ended his wait and is locked in a race for the Golden Boot along with fellow superstars Messi and Kylian Mbappe (eight) and Harry Kane (six). Haaland is sandwiched between on seven.

After emulating his father’s appearance at the 1994 World Cup, Haaland is hoping to fire Norway to previously unthinkable success.

Towering at 6ft 5in tall, with long, flowing blond hair, Haaland has become one of the most recognisable players in football.

His charisma has begun to shine through while at City, with his humour – which is at times very English – endearing him to fans.

He films ‘day in the life’ videos for his YouTube channel, which has more than 2.4 million subscribers. A vlog of an impromptu shopping trip in Dallas to buy cowboy hats and boots hours after scoring a late winner against Ivory Coast in the last 32 amassed more than five million views in four days.

He is also set to feature in animated film ViQueens as the voice of a Viking, named, of course, Haaland.

But Haaland is not a standard Norwegian hero.

“I think Erling is in some ways not a completely typical Norwegian,” said Norwegian journalist Lars Sivertsen.

“He’s confident and can be a little bit brash. He knows his value and he knows his quality and he backs himself.

“Scandinavia has a culture that’s more about humility. Erling would complain if he was on the bench. So I think he is a little bit untypical of Norwegians.

“That makes him an interesting hero for us, because there will be moments of backlash.”

But Haaland’s stock is undeniable and with that comes all those other things associated with being a superstar – shirt sales, increased interest in the World Cup, and inspiring youngsters.

“He is now just in a different strata of star than what we are used to from our sporting heroes,” said Sivertsen.

“But I think if you look across the country, there is just an extraordinary sense of pride that a player doing the things he does is from our country.”

*A version of this article was first published on 7 June 2026