England, Argentina, France or Spain? Erling Haaland has revealed who he would like to see win the World Cup after the Norway were knocked out by the Three Lions.
The Vikings’ historic run in North America came to end in Miami on Saturday night thanks to a Jude Bellingham masterclass, with England advancing to the semi-finals.
Thomas Tuchel’s team will take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Wednesday for a place in the final, where they will face one of the pre-tournament favourites in France or Spain.
It is the end of the road for Haaland who has been one of the standout players at the World Cup, scoring seven goals in five games for a nation few predicted would make it this far.
Exclusive analysis of England v Norway
Make sense of the drama with Metro’s free daily newsletter. Sign up now.
It could have been very different for the Manchester City striker however, who was eligible to represent England having been born in Leeds, but chose to follow in the footsteps of his father Alf-Inge Haaland.
Following Saturday’s game, the 25-year-old was asked if he would now support the Three Lions for the rest of the tournament, especially with so many of his club teammates in the squad.
‘Of course, I want England to do well,’ Haaland responded with a wry smile, but they’re not the only nation he is backing.
‘I think I got an England jersey before a Norway jersey when I was young. I grew up in England. It’s a special country and a nice t-shirt.
‘I’ve got my City teammates here, that’s true. But I have teammates from France and Spain too.’
Man City are the most represented club in the England squad through MarcGuehi, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, James Trafford and new £116million signing Elliot Anderson.
Additionally, City’s Ballon d’Or winner Rodri captains Spain, while attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki is part of France’s squad.
Haaland will be back in action for the Citizens, now managed by Enzo Maresca, in just over a month when they face Arsenal in the Community Shield.
But for now, the Norweigian says he is looking forward to a holiday and reflecting on an incredible World Cup experience: ‘This has been my goal for a long time, and I think after this tournament, we’ve put Norway on the map, so to speak.
‘Now it’s about maintaining those standards. I’m incredibly proud,” he affirmed.
‘We proved that it’s possible to beat one of the biggest teams in the world, Brazil. We lost to England in the end, but we made them fight for it. Perhaps it could have gone differently.
‘We’ve got more World Cups and Euros ahead of us; I think it’s time for us to really establish ourselves. We’ve got a fantastic generation.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.