ERLING HAALAND HAS broken America during this World Cup.
He’s dashed the hopes of every team he has faced and now it’s a quarter-final with England that offers him the next opportunity to inflict heartache.
He’s woken the United States up with his goals, smiles and cowboy hats.
Being part of an underdog story has also helped to shine a different, more relatable kind of spotlight on him. This version of Haaland, one in which he doesn’t have every conceivable advantage available to him at club level, feels somehow purer and more enjoyable.
He is fighting the good fight rather than being a figurehead for a form of financial oppression in the Premier League.
Haaland even feels more willing to embrace this character arc. It suits him, it fits with a personality that no longer seems suppressed.
He chased down his goals against Iraq in Boston on his debut with a ferociousness that has not diminished.
His goals against Brazil catapulted him even further. The clip of his movement in the moments before he powered above Gabriel to head home the opener was an enticing example of his brilliance.
The Arsenal defender would have known what was coming. Every player knows what is required against Haaland because the breakdown of his game is clear.
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Erling Haaland rise above Gabriel to score against Brazil. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Every player who has sat in a meeting preparing to face Haaland would have heard the same thing from their coaches. The messages are concise.
Haaland’s biggest strengths are his movement in the box. He comes alive when the ball is in wide areas and that explosive movement and power is very difficult to defend against.
For an England team struggling at full back, this will be a major cause for concern, even if Haaland’s new club teammate Marc Guehi now has a greater understanding and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konza has managed to keep him goalless in their last four meetings.
Speak to those people whose job it is to find a way to stop him and they will explain how Haaland is such an excellent finisher because he can score all types of goals. If that sounds simplistic that’s because it is, and it’s another message that is reinforced to players before facing him.
If the delivery to him is right, nine times out of 10 he will punish you, while the powerful runs he makes in behind and his ability to finish while moving at such high speed is something rival coaches are in awe of.
This also means Norway are still extremely dangerous even when they are defending because if you leave space Haaland will hurt you on transition.
The biggest thing for defenders is concentration, positioning and physicality. That is some triple threat.
He’s not always involved in the general play but can come alive in an instant and punish you in so many different ways.
Maybe making millions and winning every trophy going at Manchester City has brought freedom in his country’s jersey at this tournament.
With Norway, it doesn’t feel like he has the world on his shoulders because he wears the responsibility lightly.
Barely a couple of hours after his 86th-minute winner against the Ivory Coast in the round of 32, Haaland and a couple of his teammates visited Wild Bills Western Store in downtown Dallas.
He posted his shopping spree on The YouTube channel which, according to The Athletic, has seen over 100 million viewers during the tournament.
The blockbuster film The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya, among others, was brought in as a sponsor for the first two episodes of World Cup diaries on Haaland’s channel.
He has also brought Norway on a journey of discovery the country will already never forget. “It’s important to joke around. I like to joke a little bit and have fun. That’s the key to daily life,” Haaland said ahead of Saturday’s game with England in Miami.
The stadium is open to the elements and does not have the benefit of air-conditioning like Atlanta or Dallas.
The 5pm kick-off (10pm Irish time) is expected to see temperatures hit close to 40 degrees with around 80% humidity.
“Of course, train good, of course focus well and prepare well. You need to enjoy the moment and that’s what we are doing. You have to enjoy it because nothing lasts forever,” Haaland said, before a BBC reporter offered him the kind of open goal that he never passes up when he was asked if the pressure would be on England.
“Yeah, definitely,” Haaland said, smiling as he has throughout the last five weeks.
“It’s a special game. It’s not weird, it’s a funny game. It’s going to be nice… “I think there’s some clear favourites out there, England’s one of them. I think all of you [reporters] should put every single pressure on the English lads.”
America wants to learn as much as it can about Haaland. Television network CBS even sent a reporter to Manchester with a simple assignment: “Eat like a Viking for a day.”
The 6,000-calorie diet per day started with four scrambled eggs, two pieces of sourdough toast, a black coffee with maple syrup and a bowl of yogurt with an assortment of fruits. Washed down with a carton of raw milk.
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Erling Haaland leads the celebrations after beating Brazil. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The Haaland panini from his favourite shop was next for lunch – Parma ham, burrata, sundried tomatoes, rocket, truffle oil and pesto.
Tomahawk steaks with a bone marrow side rounded off a day in which the reporter concluded that “eating like a Viking was delicious but not easy.”
Haaland has also devoured defences at this World Cup. He has seven goals so far, level with Harry Kane, but one adrift of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
All the stars have turned up and in a sign of how this is fuelling the dynamic pricing model on Fifa’s own re-sale site, Sky News detailed how tickets originally sold by the governing body for $1,285 (€1,000) are now being re-sold for just over $1 million (€875,000).
Fifa don’t set these prices but do take a 30% commission with an equal 15% split between the buyer and seller. The lower end tickets are still in the region of $5,000 (€4,000).
For England fans to truly get their money’s worth they will need manager Thomas Tuchel to help ensure that Haaland is somehow nullified.
He has scored in each of his four games so far – he stayed on the bench for the last group clash with France after qualification was already assured – and will expect to continue that form.
England will hope he doesn’t prove to be their Miami vice.
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This World Cup has given us an Erling Haaland we can finally enjoy
ERLING HAALAND HAS broken America during this World Cup.
He’s dashed the hopes of every team he has faced and now it’s a quarter-final with England that offers him the next opportunity to inflict heartache.
He’s woken the United States up with his goals, smiles and cowboy hats.
Being part of an underdog story has also helped to shine a different, more relatable kind of spotlight on him. This version of Haaland, one in which he doesn’t have every conceivable advantage available to him at club level, feels somehow purer and more enjoyable.
He is fighting the good fight rather than being a figurehead for a form of financial oppression in the Premier League.
Haaland even feels more willing to embrace this character arc. It suits him, it fits with a personality that no longer seems suppressed.
He chased down his goals against Iraq in Boston on his debut with a ferociousness that has not diminished.
His goals against Brazil catapulted him even further. The clip of his movement in the moments before he powered above Gabriel to head home the opener was an enticing example of his brilliance.
The Arsenal defender would have known what was coming. Every player knows what is required against Haaland because the breakdown of his game is clear.
Every player who has sat in a meeting preparing to face Haaland would have heard the same thing from their coaches. The messages are concise.
Haaland’s biggest strengths are his movement in the box. He comes alive when the ball is in wide areas and that explosive movement and power is very difficult to defend against.
For an England team struggling at full back, this will be a major cause for concern, even if Haaland’s new club teammate Marc Guehi now has a greater understanding and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konza has managed to keep him goalless in their last four meetings.
Speak to those people whose job it is to find a way to stop him and they will explain how Haaland is such an excellent finisher because he can score all types of goals. If that sounds simplistic that’s because it is, and it’s another message that is reinforced to players before facing him.
If the delivery to him is right, nine times out of 10 he will punish you, while the powerful runs he makes in behind and his ability to finish while moving at such high speed is something rival coaches are in awe of.
This also means Norway are still extremely dangerous even when they are defending because if you leave space Haaland will hurt you on transition.
The biggest thing for defenders is concentration, positioning and physicality. That is some triple threat.
He’s not always involved in the general play but can come alive in an instant and punish you in so many different ways.
Maybe making millions and winning every trophy going at Manchester City has brought freedom in his country’s jersey at this tournament.
With Norway, it doesn’t feel like he has the world on his shoulders because he wears the responsibility lightly.
Barely a couple of hours after his 86th-minute winner against the Ivory Coast in the round of 32, Haaland and a couple of his teammates visited Wild Bills Western Store in downtown Dallas.
He posted his shopping spree on The YouTube channel which, according to The Athletic, has seen over 100 million viewers during the tournament.
The blockbuster film The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya, among others, was brought in as a sponsor for the first two episodes of World Cup diaries on Haaland’s channel.
He has also brought Norway on a journey of discovery the country will already never forget. “It’s important to joke around. I like to joke a little bit and have fun. That’s the key to daily life,” Haaland said ahead of Saturday’s game with England in Miami.
The stadium is open to the elements and does not have the benefit of air-conditioning like Atlanta or Dallas.
The 5pm kick-off (10pm Irish time) is expected to see temperatures hit close to 40 degrees with around 80% humidity.
“Of course, train good, of course focus well and prepare well. You need to enjoy the moment and that’s what we are doing. You have to enjoy it because nothing lasts forever,” Haaland said, before a BBC reporter offered him the kind of open goal that he never passes up when he was asked if the pressure would be on England.
“Yeah, definitely,” Haaland said, smiling as he has throughout the last five weeks.
“It’s a special game. It’s not weird, it’s a funny game. It’s going to be nice… “I think there’s some clear favourites out there, England’s one of them. I think all of you [reporters] should put every single pressure on the English lads.”
America wants to learn as much as it can about Haaland. Television network CBS even sent a reporter to Manchester with a simple assignment: “Eat like a Viking for a day.”
The 6,000-calorie diet per day started with four scrambled eggs, two pieces of sourdough toast, a black coffee with maple syrup and a bowl of yogurt with an assortment of fruits. Washed down with a carton of raw milk.
The Haaland panini from his favourite shop was next for lunch – Parma ham, burrata, sundried tomatoes, rocket, truffle oil and pesto.
Tomahawk steaks with a bone marrow side rounded off a day in which the reporter concluded that “eating like a Viking was delicious but not easy.”
Haaland has also devoured defences at this World Cup. He has seven goals so far, level with Harry Kane, but one adrift of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
All the stars have turned up and in a sign of how this is fuelling the dynamic pricing model on Fifa’s own re-sale site, Sky News detailed how tickets originally sold by the governing body for $1,285 (€1,000) are now being re-sold for just over $1 million (€875,000).
Fifa don’t set these prices but do take a 30% commission with an equal 15% split between the buyer and seller. The lower end tickets are still in the region of $5,000 (€4,000).
For England fans to truly get their money’s worth they will need manager Thomas Tuchel to help ensure that Haaland is somehow nullified.
He has scored in each of his four games so far – he stayed on the bench for the last group clash with France after qualification was already assured – and will expect to continue that form.
England will hope he doesn’t prove to be their Miami vice.
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