Erling Haaland has surprised football fans after comments emerged showing he predicted Norway would lose to England in the World Cup quarter-finals before the match took place. The Manchester City striker, 25, scored twice in a round of 16 victory over Brazil but failed to score as Norway fell to England in the last eight.
Haaland's Pre-Match Prediction
In a YouTube video, Haaland said: "England tomorrow, quarter-finals in the World Cup. I expect England to win and us to go out. Then we're going to head straight to Norway, Oslo, greet the king. Bit emotional, it's been nice but now it's time to call it a day."
Fans were taken aback by the certainty in the clip. One asked: "What was that? [I] had to listen twice to believe. Why was he so confident in that?" Another wrote: "He didn’t expect to beat Brazil. He was shocked when they did it." A third wondered whether the footage had been faked before being directed to the star's YouTube page.
Mixed Reactions from Fans
Others, however, thought it reflected well on him. One fan replied: "Haaland is a player who acknowledges the accomplishments of other teams and players and downplays his own achievements which is what makes him so relatable and likeable."
Haaland played in five of Norway's six World Cup matches, scoring seven goals. The return leaves him with a remarkable 62 senior international goals in just 55 appearances. England, however, were the one team able to keep him out. Andreas Schjelderup scored Norway's goal, only for a Jude Bellingham brace to turn the tie on its head.
Post-Match Reaction
Haaland, who was substituted during extra-time, said after the elimination: "We are touched by the fact we have done so well and it's brought people together in Norway. There is a lot of positivity in the joy we have had in our country and here as well. It's difficult to think over things right now. It's quite an insane event. You really do have to experience this. That has been my goal. I would like to put Norway on the map and establish us as one of the best teams in the world. I think we have sold Norway on the map here."
