England will face Erling Haaland and Norway for a place in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals this weekend. Haaland has been in scintillating form in his first World Cup and is just one goal shy of Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. England will have a tricky task on their hands getting to grips with the Manchester City forward, and keeping him quiet will be key to success in Miami.
Haaland's English Roots
Born in Leeds while his father, Alf-Inge, was playing in the Premier League, Haaland could hypothetically have opted to represent England internationally. Instead, having moved to Norway when he was just three years old, Haaland’s formative years were spent back in the country of his parents’ birth before he left for Austrian side RB Salzburg at 18.
Haaland’s meteoric rise, from Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City, saw him play at every age level for Norway’s youth teams. He famously scored nine goals in a single game for Norway against Honduras in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Haaland's Decision to Represent Norway
In a 2023 interview with GOAL, Haaland said: "It was natural for me to choose Norway. 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."
While England’s defenders will have their work cut out to stop Haaland this Saturday, Thomas Tuchel’s side will not be too worried that the 25-year-old goal machine got away from them. England captain Harry Kane is in the form of his life right now and is one goal behind Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
What If?
With the pair set to lock horns in Miami, England supporters could be left with a sense of regret if Haaland performs as he did against Brazil in the last-16. The question of what might have been lingers, but for now, Haaland is firmly Norwegian and aiming to lead his country past England.
