Erling Haaland craze has reached Peru as the Norway strker’s brilliant 2026 FIFA World Cup exploits have led to 468 newborns being named after the Manchester City man.
In his debut campaign, Haaland, 25, scored seven times in four games, netting at least once in every outing, as the Vikings – back in the competition after 28 years – reached the quarter-finals for the first time, losing 2-1 to England in extra time.
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Haaland announced his arrival at the FIFA World Cup with a brace in the campaign-opening 4-1 win over Iraq before he scored twice again, in a 3-2 victory against Senegal as Stale Solbakken’s side qualified for the knockouts.
There, Erling Haaland netted a late winner against Cote d’Ivoire in a 2-1 Round of 32 win before scoring both goals in a 2-1 victory over five-time champions Brazil. Haaland, though, endured a quiet outing against the Three Lions as Stale Solbakken’s side crashed out in the last eight.
Nevertheless, Haaland had done enough to capture attention in Peru, where 468 newborns were given the player’s surname, as per the Daily Sun, while 91 others have his full name.
It’s pertinent to note that over 3400 people in the country have Lionel Messi‘s surname, with 292 bearing the full name. Other football stars also have significant namesakes in the country, with 1185 named after Cristiano Ronaldo, 1241 after Lamine Yamal and nearly 34,000 after Neymar.
“Not fully satisfied” – England head coach reflects on 2026 FIFA World Cup win over Erling Haaland’s Norway
England head coach Thomas Tuchel was expectedly happy but not fully satisfied with the performance against Erling Haaland’s Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final in Miami.
The Three Lions had to dig deep to eke out victoy after falling behind in the first half and coming close to conceding a second, with Norway having a goal disallowed and another effort striking the woodwork,
“I am proud and happy, and I feel so connected to this team because they just do whatever it takes to take the next step,” Tucehl said (as per ESPN). “They just refuse to lose. They overcome obstacles and adversity.
“But I am also a football coach, and I also have demands and, of course, we want to bring out the best in us and our performance because a top performance helps you win games. So, the head of mine is not fully satisfied and not 100% happy with the way we played, and I stand by it. “
He added:
“I think we can play faster, more clinical. We had too many unforced errors and technical mistakes in our game that cost us a lot of belief.”
While Erling Haaland‘s Norway go home after a memorable 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, England play holders Argentina in the second semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday (July 15).
Edited by Bhargav
