Erling Haaland sat before the journalists with a smile and delivered his message: put every single pressure on the English lads. The Norway striker, who has scored seven goals in four games at this World Cup, knows exactly what he is doing. Saturday’s quarter-final in Miami is not just a meeting of two nations; it is a collision of expectations, and Haaland is making sure England feel the weight of theirs.
“Yes, definitely,” he said when asked if all the pressure is on Thomas Tuchel’s side. “I think there’s some clear favourites out there, England’s one of them. I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads.” The remark was classic Haaland — mischievous, direct, and delivered with the confidence of a player who has already helped Norway beyond anyone’s imagination.
“Erling Haaland says all pressure is on England before Saturday's World Cup quarter-final, urging media to target Thomas Tuchel's side.”
Norway had not even been at a World Cup since 1998, yet here they are in the last eight for the first time after finishing second in Group I, then beating Ivory Coast and Brazil. Haaland scored twice against Brazil in the last 16, a win he described as “kind of crazy for us Norwegians.” Earlier in the tournament, hours after scoring the winner against Ivory Coast, he went shopping in Dallas for cowboy hats and boots, filming the trip for his YouTube channel. The video gained more than six million views in five days.
His popularity in the US has surged, partly because of his personality, partly because of his goals. He called Americans “kind of hilarious” and said he likes the way they are. But beneath the charm lies a ruthless competitor. When asked if England supporters should “stay humble” — a reference to his famous remark to Mikel Arteta in September 2024 — he replied: “I think everyone should stay humble but they should be confident of progressing, definitely. It’s England.”
Haaland, born in Leeds while his father Alf-Inge played for Manchester City, admitted even he is surprised by Norway’s run. “I didn’t expect it. To be honest, to be in the quarter-finals with Norway in the World Cup is quite surprising even for me,” he said. Last year he told Time magazine Norway had a 0.5% chance of winning the tournament. Asked if those odds have improved, he said: “Really low still.”
England, meanwhile, have reached at least the quarter-finals in the past three men’s World Cups but have not made the final since 1966. They face a Norway side that has scored freely and a striker on a run of 14 consecutive competitive games with a goal. The pressure, Haaland insists, is all on England — and he wants the media to make sure they feel it.
