Residents of Erling Haaland’s hometown of Bryne will gather in their thousands on Saturday to watch the World Cup quarter-final between Norway and England, transforming the small southern Norwegian farming town into a sea of red shirts and collective anticipation.
Hundreds will convene in the central square for an outdoor broadcast of the match, while Bryne’s football stadium will host 3,000 children and families for an alcohol-free screening where the mayor will serve hotdogs. The town’s mayor, Andreas Vollusund, once taught Haaland when the striker was ten years old.
Hometown Roots
Although born in Leeds, where his father Alf-Inge once played for Leeds United, it was in Bryne where the Manchester City forward developed into one of world football’s most prolific scorers. The 25-year-old has netted 62 goals in just 54 senior internationals.
Vollusund, who still knows Haaland’s family well, recalled a determined child who announced his ambitions early. At age ten, the future striker declared he would become a professional footballer. “He was funny, he loved joking with others, lots of energy, loved sports, loved football,” the mayor said. “He was very focused.”
Alf Ingve Berntsen, who began training Haaland at age eight, said the striker’s exceptional ability was evident immediately. “He was quite similar to how he is now. He was funny, he was smiling, he was scoring lots of goals,” Berntsen said. “At that level you can see it is glowing. It’s a fire, it’s passion.”
Community Impact
Haaland maintains strong ties to the town of roughly 12,000 residents, regularly visiting favourite local spots and investing in community projects. He donates football equipment to local children, organises reading competitions, and recently purchased a rare 16th-century book of Viking sagas for the town library.
He has also invested in Norway Chess, based in nearby Sandnes, though Kjell Madland, who runs the organisation, noted that chess remains one of the striker’s few sporting weaknesses.
The mayor highlighted Bryne’s farming culture—hard-working and down-to-earth—as instrumental in shaping Haaland’s character, alongside athletic genes inherited from his mother, a former national heptathlon champion.
A Nation United
For Bryne’s residents, the World Cup run represents more than sporting success. “Everyone looks up to him,” Vollusund said. “He has shown you can come from a small town like Bryne and be the best player in the world.”
Berntsen noted that while social media has often divided Norwegians, the tournament has fostered unity. “It’s brought a kind of togetherness. Not just in Bryne but all over Norway. It’s amazing,” he said.
As Norway prepare to face the country of Haaland’s birth for a place in the semi-finals, the striker’s great uncle Gabriel Høyland predicted a tight contest. “I can’t wait for the game to kick off,” he said.