Erling Haaland is set to play the biggest game of his international career. This Saturday night, the Norwegian powerhouse will lead his nation against England, his country of birth, in a World Cup quarter-final. While England are favourites to progress to the semi-finals, Norway's monumental 2-1 win over Brazil in the previous round is enough evidence to show Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions they cannot underestimate their Scandinavian opponents.
Manchester City goal-machine Haaland has been pivotal to their success. His two goals against Brazil highlighted just how clinical and monstrous he is in front of goal. With seven goals to his name, the 25-year-old will be desperate to deliver another famous victory and continue his hunt for the golden boot.
Now, in light of Haaland's recent heroics on the field, Mirror Football takes a look back at three off-pitch developments at each of his last three clubs - Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City - that brought him to this moment.
'Five Girlfriends' Comment - Red Bull Salzburg
In 2019, while Haaland was still a blossoming talent and not yet a household name, he was even more susceptible to wild, non-media trained answers than he is today. During his time with Salzburg, the goal-scoring phenomenon claimed his five girlfriends were key to his sudden success. But the teenage wonderkid was actually referring to the five footballs he took home for each of his hat-tricks until that point, admitting he even slept with them. He had enjoyed a remarkable rise after bursting onto the scene in Austria, where he netted 28 goals in 22 appearances that season.
Speaking about his love for the game and his pride in netting hat-tricks, Haaland told Dagbladet: "I sleep with the five balls that I have for each hat-trick I scored. I lie in bed and I feel good with them. I look at them every day. They are my girlfriends." The superstar striker's real girlfriend is in fact his long-time partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen. They grew up in the same home town, live together in Cheshire and share a son.
Labelled a 'Burden' - Borussia Dortmund
After sealing his move to Dortmund in December 2019, Haaland immediately took his game to another level during the Covid-19-struck season. He quickly made a name for himself as one of the most lethal forwards on the planet, blessed with raw power, pace, finishing instinct and plenty of charisma. After shattering records with 86 goals in 89 appearances in Germany, Haaland attracted attention from Europe's biggest clubs. In the end, he opted to join his dad's former club, City, in a £85.5m deal in the summer of 2022.
While many at his previous club were left devastated, Dortmund's then-sporting director Sebastian Kehl sensationally claimed Haaland ended up becoming a "burden in the dressing room." The Black and Yellow's boss insisted he was actually happy to see the 22-year-old leave the club. Kehl said: "As much as we always liked Erling, and as successful as he was with us – in the end the topic also became a certain burden in the dressing room, at the club and in the environment. Almost everything simply focused on him in the outside world and covered up many BVB issues that would also have been important. [It was] ultimately the right one for both sides. The time without him offers us the opportunity for other players to get more space and the lack of focus on Erling represents a chance for us as a team."
Current Net Worth - Manchester City
After successfully adapting his game to the demands of English football, breaking the Premier League's single-season scoring record and becoming a Treble winner with City, Haaland signed a new nine-and-a-half year contract in January 2025, in the midst of a difficult period for the club on the pitch. As a result, the Norwegian sensation reportedly earns a basic salary of £500,000-per-week at the Etihad, making him comfortably the highest earner in the Premier League. Forbes, as of May 2026, estimated Haaland's net worth to be in the region of $80m (£60m).
Alongside his eye-watering wages, Haaland earns considerable money from his sponsorship deals with Beats by Dre, Breitling, Dolce & Gabbana, Supercell, Visa and more. He benefited from a bidding war to sign him to a new boot sponsorship, eventually choosing Nike.
