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Erling Haaland was already well known before the 2026 FIFA World Cup thanks to his prodigious goal scoring in the English Premier League for Manchester City.
But at this tournament in North America, his leading of Norway on a surprise run to the quarterfinals while having a blast all the while -- it made him into a totally global superstar.
Haaland may not have advanced past England into the semifinals, and so he is back home now, but he didn't leave with nothing.
He returned with a stuffed raccoon:
Erling Haaland arrives back in Norway with a taxidermy raccoon 😮💀 pic.twitter.com/bU4PiaMB5b— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 13, 2026
MORE: Christian Pulisic gives a terrible answer after World Cup-ending loss
And this is one of those situations where the Internet is the best.
It appears that social media sleuths determined this as being a $750 purchase from Texas:
Erling Haaland has returned to Norway, and it looks like he brought home a $750 Whiskey Raccoon from Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas, Texas. What an authentic piece of American culture. pic.twitter.com/SsnwZlEgOZ— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 13, 2026
MORE: Actor who played Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso makes pro soccer debut
Haaland made it a point to embrace each city Norway spent time in, and now he goes back to Europe with quite the striking reminder of the trip.
Hopefully he shares on his YouTube channel a look at just where he's keeping that taxidermy raccoon.
The world certainly wants to know.
More FIFA World Cup news:
- Why Norway brought 600 pounds of salmon to the World Cup
- An on-brand finish to Neymar's Brazil career
- Lionel Messi makes announcer lose his mind in 35-second goal call
- Jordan Henderson got injured celebrating England's win over Mexico
Billy Heyen
Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive high school sports coverage at the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. When people ask if he's seen a movie, the answer is usually "No, I was probably watching sports." Even away from sports, his main hobby is running (much slower than any athlete in these pages).
Source: Sporting News
