Erling Haaland Piles the Pressure on England With Trademark Quote

The striker has scored in every one of his appearances on the world stage this summer.

Erling Haaland (right) bagged a brace to send Norway to the quarterfinals. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Norway star Erling Haaland couldn’t help but remind England and its fanbase to “stay humble” ahead of Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal clash, though he did insist the Three Lions are the “clear favorites” to progress.

In a World Cup completely taken over by the biggest names in soccer, Haaland has already earned himself a place among this summer’s best performers. The 25-year-old has seven goals to his name, just one less than Golden Boot leaders Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, and is hoping to add to his tally when the Vikings meet England with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

Thomas Tuchel’s men are the favorites going against a Norway side that will make its first ever appearance in a World Cup quarterfinal. Yet Haaland is making sure his upcoming opponents and their fanbase don’t get too ahead of themselves.

“I think ­everyone should stay ­humble but [England] should be confident of ­progressing, ­definitely,” Haaland said with a smile, invoking the infamous quote from his exchange with Mikel Arteta after Manchester City’s 2–2 draw with Arsenal in Sept. 2024.

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Haaland Shifts All the Attention to England

Thomas Tuchel is under heavy scrutiny this summer. | Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

Never one to shy away from mind games, Haaland continued putting all the pressure on England ahead of Saturday’s bout in Miami. He admitted Norway’s chances of winning the World Cup are “really low still,” backing his previous prediction that gave his nation just a 0.5% chance of lifting the golden trophy come July 19.

“I think there are some clear favorites out there. England are one of them, so I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads.”

Not many expected Norway to get past Brazil in the round of 16, but a magnificent late brace from Haaland sent Carlo Ancelotti’s men home early. England, meanwhile, put together a thrilling, resilient performance against Mexico at the Azteca to book its place in the last eight.

The Three Lions were reduced to 10 players for nearly the entire second half, but still managed to walk away with a 3–2 victory in one of the best games of the tournament so far. As one of the pre-tournament favorites, England is expected to get past Norway, but will have to do what no team has done this summer: contain Haaland.

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Manchester City’s Best Coming Face to Face in Miami

Nico O’Reilly (left) and Erling Haaland will be on opposite sides in the World Cup quarterfinals. | Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

Haaland, who was born in Leeds, also took the time to express how much he’s looking forward to playing England, which pits him against some of his Manchester City teammates.

“It’s a special game, definitely,” he said. “I think for me, it’s super special because I play in England and I’m born in England, and you also play against teammates and everything. So it’s a bit … not weird, but it’s a funny game and it’s going to be nice.”

Haaland’s club teammate Nico O’Reilly already brushed off Haaland’s comments as “mind games” before praising the striker, who took home another Premier League Golden Boot last season. “Erling’s Erling. We all know what he’s like. He can score goals. He’s dangerous in the box, and he’s a real threat. But they need to get him the ball in first. A lot goes into it.

“I think keeping Erling quiet gives us a real chance to win the game.”

O’Reilly will hope fellow Cityzen Marc Guéhi will be fit enough to start against Haaland, but the center back is carrying a hamstring injury and is a doubt for Saturday, potentially leaving England’s backline vulnerable to one of the most lethal finishers around.

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