Erling Haaland may not have brought the World Cup to Norway this year, but he came back with a very unique souvenir.
The Norwegian striker, known for his sense of humor and laid-back attitude, surprised football fans when he touched down in Oslo following a 2-1 loss to England in the quarter-finals.
Haaland, 25, had an excellent World Cup debut, scoring seven goals in five matches.
Image credits: Bryan Berlin
His look included a fresh-off-the-runway bag: the Dolce & Gabbana Sicily tote, which features burgundy alligator accents. The handbag collector likely had his eye on the piece, which was unveiled last month at the Spring 2027 menswear show in Milan.
However, what drew the most attention was certainly the item he was carrying in his left hand: the “Whiskey Raccoon,” a $750 taxidermy raccoon he bought in Dallas, Texas.
Haaland purchased the raccoon, which stands on a wooden base and appears to be sipping from a bottle of wild berry gin, from Wild Bill’s Western Store. During his visit, he also bought a cowboy hat, boots, and a T-shirt reading, “Y’all Can Kiss My Dallas.”
Before the photo of him touching down in Oslo, he had posted a video showing his furry friend on a hotel room window ledge alongside a squirrel standing upright and a squirrel with a crushed can of beer, saying, “There’s one geezer, another geezer, another geezer.”
Haaland, who was in Dallas for Norway’s match against Ivory Coast, also asked his fans to help name the raccoon on Instagram. The options included “Cowboy”, “Ranger”, “Tex” and “R.O.W. (Raccoon On Wheels).”
Image credits: Jan Langhaug / NTB / AFP
Wild Bill’s owner, Julie Newport, told The Athletic, “We’ve had a couple of these taxidermy raccoons in the store for the last few years, and he obviously gravitated to that and a couple of the squirrels.”
Newport said that, following the Manchester City striker’s purchase, the store has seen a surge in popularity and has begun shipping internationally.
“Every day when we wake up, we have more orders,” she shared. “Oddly enough, our top-selling product prior to this was the Texas-sized jelly bean. Now, that’s obviously changed a little bit.”
She added that the store closed especially for Haaland and his team, who spent about an hour and a half browsing the different Western products.
In addition to giving the store its best marketing campaign yet, Haaland autographed two FIFA balls for Newport, as well as a hat she keeps on display at the store’s hat bar.
After seeing the unusual souvenir, social media users quickly worked their magic, coming up with funny reactions that reimagined the viral photo in every way possible. Here are some of the best ones.
The footballer’s unique souvenir sparked dozens of memes across social media
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Image credits: ErlingNoContext
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