Erling Haaland Sparks Buzz After Returning to Norway Carrying the Most Unexpected World Cup Souvenir

Erling Haaland had a World Cup to remember while in the United States this summer, and after Norway's exit in the quarterfinals, the soccer star made sure to bring home a unique souvenir.

When he and his team touched down in Norway following their loss to England on Saturday, July 11, photos showed Haaland walking off the plane with a taxidermied raccoon holding a whiskey bottle.

This took the internet by storm and Haaland quickly addressed it in a post, joking about the moment.

"It followed me home," he wrote in a post on X, including a raccoon and a laughing face emoji.

It followed me home 🦝🤣 pic.twitter.com/IwMhgv0CAb

— Erling Haaland (@Erling) July 13, 2026

On his Instagram story, Haaland also included a poll, asking fans to help him decide the name of the raccoon. The options: "Cowboy," "Ranger," "TEX," or "R.O.W. (Raccoon on Wheels)."

According to Vogue, the "Whiskey Raccoon" is $750 and was picked up during his time at Wild Bill's, which is a Western store in Dallas, Texas.

Fans were having tons of fun reacting to Haaland's new companion.

"You bring pure JOY to the world Erling," one person wrote.

"Bro really said "finders keepers" in Texas and now Norway has its first raccoon citizen Does it get a passport or is it still on a tourist visa? And more importantly… does it celebrate goals with the robot dance too? Welcome home king (and your new roommate)," another person commented.

Haaland became a fan-favorite during Norway's World Cup run, endearing himself to fans everywhere with his fun and quirky personality. He's been spotted doing everything from eating a New York deli sandwich to getting a custom cowboy hat made in Texas.

The Manchester City star shared a heartfelt post on X, saying goodbye to the United States.

"It's been quite a row, thank you for making it so special," he said, while sharing numerous photos from Norway's games during its impressive World Cup run. He also shared a selfie of himself on Instagram with the caption, "Goodbye 🇺🇸 It's been emotional!"

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM.