A former teammate of Haaland recalled: “Everyone gets to play equally and everyone has to be happy. Winning or losing wasn’t important when you were young.”

Of the approximately 40 boys of the same age at Bryne FK, 35 went on to play football into adulthood, 6 became professional players, and 5 were recruited into national youth teams.

However, Haaland has a much more fortunate background than many other players, according to Mainstand. The star was born in England while his father, Alf-Inge Haaland (often referred to as Alfie), was playing for Premier League clubs Leeds United and Manchester City.

Both his parents are former professional athletes. His father was a football player while his mother was a heptathlete. Thanks to his parents’ athletic background, he enjoyed a high-quality life and frequent exposure to sports. But believe it or not, Haaland’s original dream wasn’t football.

As a child, he always accompanied his mother to training grounds and had the opportunity to try long jump for the first time. As a result, Haaland still holds the world record for the longest standing long jump for the age of 5. Haaland jumped 1.63m on January 22, 2006.

Later, he embarked on a football career with his father’s support and gradually matured at the Norwegian club Bryne, which was also his father’s debut team. At that time, young Haaland only considered football a form of entertainment because he also played many other sports, such as handball, athletics, and golf.

Sports scientist Martin Erikstad spent years researching the model behind producing stars like Haaland. He collected data, analyzed training plans, and interviewed players and coaches at Bryne FK to understand why the club produces so many quality players.

“To achieve top performance in the world’s most popular and competitive sport requires a combination of favorable genetics and a near-optimal developmental environment,” Erikstad stated.

Norway’s Erling Haaland celebrates a goal with his teammates on June 30. Photo: Reuters.

According to this study, Norwegian children are not categorized by ability until around age 13. Before focusing on one sport, they are encouraged to experiment with many different sports. Meanwhile, at the same age, young American athletic talents may already be experiencing burnout.

For example, Haaland grew up playing skiing and handball and had a good record in the long jump before deciding to pursue football.

Besides the training philosophy, training conditions also play a crucial role. When Haaland was about 5 years old, Bryne built an indoor football training facility that was always open so children could come and play at any time, even during the Nordic winter.

The Wall Street Journal reports that youth teams in Norway primarily compete against regional rivals, rather than frequently traveling for hours to participate in tournaments like in the United States. This allows the children more time to play football freely outside of official training sessions.

It’s not just a natural talent.

According to The Athletic , Haaland wasn’t a prodigy who was highly regarded by experts from the start.

During training courses at the Norwegian Football Federation, trainees are often shown videos of Haaland at age 16 practicing shooting. Most of his shots were inaccurate, leading many to believe he was unlikely to become a national team player.

What impressed Hakon Grottland, the Norwegian Football Federation’s player development manager, was a different detail.

“The whole team got on the bus to return to the hotel, but Erling stayed behind with the coach and goalkeeper to continue training,” he recounted. “Perhaps that’s why he became the best, because he missed the most shots, so he also trained the most.”

Haaland celebrates his second goal against Ivory Coast. Photo: Reuters.

Haaland’s physical development also came relatively late. At 14 years old, he was among the smallest players. In just about a year after that, Haaland grew about 20 cm taller and gained about 20 kg.

According to Grottland, not having a physical advantage from a young age was actually an “advantage” that helped Haaland develop intelligent positioning and movement skills.

“When he was young, he didn’t have a physical advantage, so he had to learn to move nimbly and find space to get past defenders. Thanks to that, he later became a ‘smart monster’,” he remarked.

Besides impressing with his goal-scoring ability, Haaland is also highly regarded by many experts for his outgoing personality and team spirit.

“His joy when a teammate scores seems even greater than when he scores himself. That’s very rare among top stars,” commented Professor of Sports Psychology Geir Jordet.

According to The Athletic , that approachable image significantly boosted Haaland’s appeal during the World Cup. In just one month, his social media accounts gained millions of new followers, and his personal video channel acquired nearly 900,000 new subscribers.

Following the victory against Brazil, marked by Haaland’s outstanding performance, coach Stale Solbakken called it “the greatest day in Norwegian football history.” Thousands poured into the streets of Oslo to celebrate and will continue to watch the quarter-final match against England. However, even though millions of Norwegians are now following every win and loss of the national team, the philosophy of football development that the country pursues remains unchanged.

“We don’t judge a person’s worth by whether they’re good at shooting a ball or not,” Haaland’s boyhood coach once said.