Erling Haaland scores, then dons cowboy gear before unleashing his inner Viking

Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) poses after the 32nd round of the World Cup (AP Photo) Norway star striker Erling Haaland shared a series of light-hearted posts on social media after his side booked their place in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast in their round of 32 clash. After the win, Haaland posted two photos of himself on X wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat with the caption: “Hi!” He also celebrated Norway’s progress with a Viking-themed post on X. The 25-year-old shared a picture of himself wearing a Viking horned helmet alongside a Norwegian national team jersey, captioning it with a Norwegian flag emoji and a red heart emoji.

contributed by Erling Haaland

The series of posts did not end there. In another post, Haaland celebrated a personal milestone after becoming the fastest player to score 60 international goals for Norway. Norway overcame Ivory Coast 2-1 in a close encounter at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 to book their place in the last 16. Haaland found the net in the 86th minute to send Norway through on Tuesday. “I was dead tired, so I said to myself: ‘I can’t do extra time, so we have to score,'” Haaland told Norwegian TV2 after the match. The goal added another memorable moment to Haaland’s international career as his late strike sent Norway into the last 16. Ivory Coast, meanwhile, bowed out of the tournament after a spirited display. The match was also a historic occasion for Ivory Coast as it marked the first ever FIFA World Cup knockout match. Norway will now face favorites Brazil in the round of 16.