Sport3 min(s) read
Published 10:56 09 Jul 2026 GMT
Football fans have noticed something unusual about Erling Haaland's shirt during his World Cup appearance for Norway.
The 25-year-old Norwegian striker has become one of the best-known faces of the tournament, breaking out from football to become a viral star thanks to the many hilarious clips of him on and off the pitch which have been circulating social media.
But fans have noticed that when Haaland plays for the Norwegian national team, he goes by a different name on his shirt.
While he simply uses 'Haaland' for his Manchester City kit, when playing for Norway, the back of the footballer's shirt says 'Braut Haaland'.
Well, it turns out there is a very heartwarming reason for the added 'Braut' on the back of Haaland's shirt.
It is in fact added to honor tradition as in in Norway, it is culturally common for children to have both their mother and father's surnames.
Erling Braut Haaland is the footballer's full legal name, which he chooses to use when representing his home country.
His mother, Gry Marita Braut, was also an athlete, representing Norway as a champion heptathlete in the 1990s, while his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was also a footballer.
Erling was born in Leeds, UK, when his father was playing for Leeds United, and the family moved back to Bryne, his parents' hometown in Norway, when he was three years old.
By adding Braut to the back of his Norway shirt, Haaland is choosing to honor his mother and her side of the family in line with Norwegian tradition while representing his country.
With sports stars on both his mother and father's side, it's no wonder that Erling chose to follow in their footsteps and become a footballer.
However, his foray into soccer wasn't the only sport the young star dabbled in as a child, as he also played handball, golf, and track and field - and was unsurprisingly pretty good at athletics.
He reportedly achieved a world record in his age category for the standing long jump in 2006 when he was just five years old, with a recorded distance of 1.63 metres (5 ft 4 in).
As well as being a goal-scoring machine during games, off the pitch, Haaland has picked up a dedicated following for his personality as well as his long hair and viking-style looks.
Even those with little interest in the sport have struggled to avoid the many edits of Haaland on social media, showcasing his funniest moments.
Haaland himself has been charting his World Cup journey on YouTube, telling his followers his personal mantra: "One thing in life – don’t take yourself too seriously. No matter what happens, just have a laugh, you know. Don’t be so serious – just enjoy."
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