When Gareth Southgate, the England manager at the time, was asked in 2020 if there was a possibility of Haaland ever playing for the Three Lions, he quickly shut it down.
“With players like him, they are very clear where they want to play,” Southgate said. “He feels loyalty to the country he’s playing for now and you always respect that a lot.”
Haaland was born in Leeds – where his father Alf-Inge still lived, having left Leeds United for Manchester City in 2000.
The family moved to Bryn, Norway after Alf-Inge’s retirement due to injury three years later, ending his City stint.
Young Haaland’s talent was recognized early on and he moved through the youth teams at Bryn before being snapped up by Molde in 2017, joining a club managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the time.
Solskjaer helped transform Haaland into the attacking force he is today and has often spoken highly of his former player, expressing regret that he could not bring him to Old Trafford when he became manager at Manchester United.
The young forward began to attract attention during his time at Red Bull Austria, before a spell at Borussia Dortmund really announced him on the world stage.
Erling Haaland’s transfer to Manchester City in 2022 – something many felt was inevitable due to his father’s history with the club and his love of English football.
Amidst all the turmoil, drama, and success in his life, Holland has felt homesick, returning repeatedly to his native country, where he owns several properties.
Norwegian football journalist Andreas Korsund told BBC Sport, “Despite Haaland’s global superstar status, he is just the same guy.”
“He knows exactly where he comes from and regularly visits his small hometown of 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 often be seen visiting Oslo, where he has an apartment.
He is passionate about Norway’s Viking history and is very proud to represent his country.
It is this affinity with his heritage that has led him to wear the full title of Brut Haaland on the back of his national shirt – Brut is his mother’s maiden name and it is a common Norwegian tradition to combine it with his father’s name.
“For Norway, Holland is everything,” says Korsund.
“He has become a phenomenal superstar in the world’s biggest game. It is a huge thing for a country of more than 5.5 million people to produce one of the greatest football players on the planet.”