Erling Haaland returned from World Cup with perfectly chaotic American souvenir
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland returned from the World Cup with a taxidermy raccoon souvenir purchased in Dallas. The viral moment highlights the soccer star's personality following Norway's elimination from the tournament.
Why it matters
This human-interest story provides a lighthearted look at a major sports figure, engaging fans beyond match statistics.
Norway might have been eliminated from the men's World Cup in a quarterfinal defeat to England over the weekend, but it's hard to argue against Erling Haaland remaining the (viral) star of the tournament . In fact, after Haaland made waves with a classy statement about building up the Norwegian soccer program again, he followed it up with a silly stunt upon his return from the World Cup on Monday.
Cameras captured Haaland stepping onto the runway back in Norway, holding a taxidermy raccoon attached to a board that also has a fake bottle of alcohol affixed to it. As Haaland joked about on his X profile, the stuffed animal "followed him home."
Ah, that's just Erling Haaland being Erling Haaland, I see.
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