Forget Messi & Co., because this is Erling Haaland's World Cup - ESPN

BOSTON — Had things been different, Erling Haaland could have been lining up for England against Norway in Miami on Saturday rather than the other way around.

Born in Leeds during a summer that saw his father, Alfie, move from Leeds United to Manchester City, Haaland has dual nationality. In recent years, the English FA has made a push to make contact early with any player eligible for their system. In Haaland's case, they were beaten to the punch by Norway.

«When he broke into first-team football he was pretty much already in the Norwegian youth system,» former England boss Gareth Southgate said in 2020. «We recruit early, but we wouldn't have been into him when he was still in Yorkshire, that's for sure.

»We're always trying to monitor those cases, but I think in that instance he was tied up pretty early by Norway and I think also, with players like him, they're quite clear where they want to play as well. He feels that allegiance to the country that he's playing for now and you're always very respectful of that."

When Alfie Haaland's career in England ended in 2003, the family moved back to Norway. Haaland junior was enrolled in Bryne's youth system not long afterward, and by 2015 he was playing for Norway's Under-15s.

In truth, England never really stood a chance.

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«I lived in England for 3½ or four years,» Haaland said in an interview last season. «I lived in Norway for such a long time so it was natural for me to choose Norway.

»Maybe if my father had played longer in England or whatever, maybe I would be English — I don't