Erling Haaland is already considered one of the best players of his generation, thanks to his goalscoring exploits with Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and, internationally, with Norway.
He has followed in his father's footsteps both for club and country, but there has been a lot of discussion around the possibility that he could have played for England.
GOAL takes a look at where Haaland was born and why he played for Norway instead of England.
Where was Erling Haaland born?
| Date of birth: | July 21, 2000 |
| Place of birth: | Leeds, England |
Haaland was born on July 21, 2000 in Leeds, a city in West Yorkshire in the north of England.
His father, Alfie Haaland, had been playing for Leeds United at the time and the Haaland family remained in England for another three years as Alfie played for Manchester City between 2000 and 2003 before relocating back to Bryne in Norway, where Erling was then raised.
Could Erling Haaland have played for England?
Had the stars aligned differently, Erling Haaland could have played for England.
Since he was born in England and lived there for his early years, Haaland would have been entitled to British citizenship and thus potentially eligible to play for the England national team, had he not committed to Norway from such a young age.
You can read more about FIFA's eligibility rules here.
Why did Erling Haaland not play for England?
In an interview with GOAL, Haaland explained that he made the choice to play for Norway because it felt 'natural' to him.
"I lived here [England] for three-and-a-half-to-four years and I lived in Norway for such a long time, so then it was natural for me to choose Norway," Haaland said on Box to Box.
"You never know how it would be if maybe my father played longer in England or whatever. Maybe I would be English, I don't know. But yeah, I'm Norwegian and I'm proud of it."
Could Erling Haaland play for England in the future?
No, Haaland would not be able to play for England, or indeed any other nation that he has a connection with.
This is due to FIFA's international eligibility rules which state that players are only eligible to switch national teams if they have 'played in no more than three competitive senior internationals before the age of 21.'
Haaland qualified to represent England on the grounds that he is a British citizen born in England, but by the time he was 21 he had played almost 20 senior internationals for Norway, including competitive games.
The Norwegian made his full international debut on September 5, 2019.
While he may have a British passport and has historical ties to England, he will never represent the Three Lions.
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