Erling Haaland will face England in a World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, July 11 but in an alternate world, the Norway superstar could have instead been lining up for England.
Haaland has been sensational at his first World Cup, scoring seven goals in just four games to help Norway reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
That has earned Norway a date with England in Miami, seeing Haaland lined up against many players he plays with and against in the Premier League with Manchester City.
But Haaland's ties to England go beyond the country being his current home. The 25-year-old was also born there.
Haaland was born in on July 21, 2000 in Leeds, West Yorkshire. His father Alf-Inge Haaland was playing for Leeds United at the time, and the younger Haaland grew up as a fan of Leeds.
When Haaland was three, he moved to his parents' hometown of Byrne, Norway. His soccer talents first emerged when he played at the academy of his hometown club Bryne FK. From there, he joined Molde FK at the age of 16.
Haaland's development accelerated from there, with moves to Red Bull Salzburg, then Borussia Dortmund and finally Man City, which he joined in 2022.
Why did Haaland choose to represent Norway?
Though Haaland would have been eligible to play for England had he so chosen, the striker said having Norwegian parents and living the majority of his life in Norway meant there wasn't much of a decision.
"I lived there (England) for three-and-a-half or four years and I lived in Norway for such a long time, so then it was natural for me to choose Norway," Haaland told Goal in 2022.
"You never know how it would be if maybe my father played longer in England or whatever, maybe I would be English, I don't know. But yeah, I'm Norwegian and I'm proud of it."
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Norway fans are certainly happy that Haaland made the choice that he did.
Haaland has scored an incredible 62 goals in 54 caps for Norway, making him the country's all-time top scorer.
The striker is on a run of 14 straight games with a goal for Norway, dating back to November 2024.
Source: USA Today
