Norwegian football star Erling Haaland, aged 25, has announced his support for England throughout the 2026 World Cup. This statement follows Norway’s elimination by England in the quarter-finals, where they suffered a 1-2 defeat after extra time.
Haaland, who plays for Manchester City, has a unique connection to England. He was born in Leeds while his father, Alf Haaland, played for the local team, Leeds United, before moving to Manchester City. As a result, the striker holds dual citizenship.
Since joining Manchester City in 2022, Haaland has made an impressive mark with 112 goals in 132 matches.
Haaland Backs England Following Norway’s Departure
When asked if he would support England after Norway’s exit, Haaland responded affirmatively: “Yes, why not? I have friends at Manchester City who play for this team. I want them to do well. Since I was young, I had an England shirt before I had one for Norway,” he remarked after Norway’s defeat to Thomas Tuchel’s side.
In addition to his current teammates, Haaland has maintained close ties with former colleagues in the England squad, including Jude Bellingham, who scored both goals in England’s victory over Norway. The two were teammates at Borussia Dortmund.
“Jude is a good friend of mine; we had two wonderful years together in Dortmund. He is a very nice guy,” Haaland expressed. “I’m not surprised he scored both goals, because he is in excellent form. I think he is unfairly criticized for not scoring consistently. Jude is an incredible player, and the English are lucky to have him,” he added, as reported by sportal.bg.
While Bellingham netted twice that morning, Haaland was unable to find the back of the net. Consequently, England became the first team to prevent Erling Haaland from scoring in an official national team match since a game against Austria on October 13, 2024, which was 636 days ago.
