Erling Haaland returns to Norway as a national hero after unforgettable experience with the team fifa world cup But it wasn’t just the striker who caught everyone’s attention. When the Norwegian team returned home to a warm welcome, Haaland was spotted stepping off the team plane with a stuffed raccoon, a photo that quickly went viral on social media.The Manchester City star accepted the joke. “It followed me home,” Haaland wrote in response to the now-famous photo on X, adding a raccoon emoji and a smiley face emoji.He didn’t stop there.Haaland also asked fans to help name his unusual companion by voting via Instagram Stories, offering four options: “Cowboy”, “Ranger”, “TEX” and “ROW (Racoon on Wheels)”, the latter of which appeared to be a playful nod to Norway’s viral “Viking Row” celebrations, which became one of the defining fans of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The moment of relief came when Norway returned to his home country to a hero’s welcome. More than 100,000 fans packed the streets of Oslo, turning the Norwegian capital into a sea of ​​red, white and blue to celebrate the team’s historic victory. The celebrations reached a climax when Crown Prince Haakon presided over the final Viking Walk celebrations, with players and thousands of supporters beating gongs and drums in unison, kicking off Norway’s unforgettable World Cup journey.
Erling Haaland’s unforgettable World Cup journey
Erling Haaland scored 7 goals in 6 games in his World Cup debut. He did not receive a single yellow card and had 14 shots on target.
| opponent | stage | result | Fraction | Erling Haaland’s performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq | group stage | won | 4-1 | 2 goals |
| Senegal | group stage | won | 3–2 | 2 goals |
| France | group stage | lost | 1-4 | Take a break (not playing) |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Top 32 | won | 2-1 | 1 ball |
| Brazil | Top 16 | won | 2-1 | 2 goals |
| England | quarterfinals | Lost (EEC) | 1–2 | 105 minutes played (0 goals) |
