While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to dominate the spotlight during the FIFA World Cup, Norway’s Erling Haaland is also regarded as one of football’s biggest stars.
Many fans compare him to a modern-day Viking warrior because of his long blond hair, powerful physique, and fearless style of play. The towering, relentless striker’s lifestyle and habits are just as extraordinary as his incredible goal-scoring ability.
In his private life, Haaland enjoys going into the forest to chop wood. He consumes around 6,000 calories a day and is particularly fond of beef. After intense training sessions, he prefers drinking raw milk, as if his body demands the fuel of an ancient warrior rather than that of an ordinary athlete.
Off the pitch, his personality is equally unique. He owns an investment company in Luxembourg called Pillage, a name that reflects his aggressive approach to the game.
Haaland also purchased a rare copy of the 13th-century Old Norse saga Heimskringla for $130,000, but later donated it to his local library. When asked why, he laughed and replied, “I’ve never really been a person who reads books.”
His greatest strength, however, remains his remarkable goal-scoring ability. Haaland is widely considered one of the finest goalscorers of his generation, with a scoring rate that surpasses most players in football history. In one youth international match against Honduras, he stunned the football world by scoring nine goals on his own.
Football is the center of Haaland’s life. He has said, “I think about football all the time.” Even his morning alarm is set to the famous UEFA Champions League anthem, as if football follows him even in his dreams.
Perhaps it is this extraordinary personality that once led the British newspaper The Guardian to describe him as “the ever-hungry Nordic Yeti.”