Prolific Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is currently riding one of the most dazzling spells of his career. A recognised leader at Manchester City, he has now secured qualification for his maiden World Cup, emerging as Norway's standout player.
At this vantage point in his career, the striker looked back and shared a social media post that had gone unnoticed when it first appeared.
He dug up a fan's tweet from 2018, when he himself was an 18-year-old at Molde, far removed from the global stage. The original post on X (then Twitter) read: “There's this kid that's scoring for fun in the Norwegian top division, and he's only 18 years old. Remember the name: Erling Braut Haaland."
With just a few words, Haaland made a powerful statement: "I remember this name."
I remember this name 😅 pic.twitter.com/vls6F5OoLa
November 19, 2025Seven years later, Haaland has proved that prescient tweet accurate.
Haaland burst onto the European scene at Red Bull Salzburg after his days at Molde, before proving his mettle at Borussia Dortmund. His arrival at Manchester City saw him collect an array of trophies: Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Club World Cup.
Haaland's individual honours include two Premier League Golden Boots, one accompanied by a landmark goal total that led to the European Golden Shoe.
While City took a slight step back last season, Haaland has begun 2025–26 with unmistakable vigour, showing no sign of slowing down.
He's already scored 19 goals for City this season, with 14 coming in the Premier League and five in the Champions League, alongside 16 goals in Europe's World Cup qualifiers.
With this total, he has now become the second player to create the European record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup qualifying cycle, a mark set by Robert Lewandowski in 2018.
Haaland has moved on to 99 league goals from 108 appearances for City with his strike in the 3-0 win over Liverpool before the international break, and seems certain to reach his century faster than Shearer's mark of 124 games.
Across Norway's wins against Estonia and Italy in the recent international fixtures, he bagged four goals, ensuring the nation's passage to the 2026 World Cup.
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