Norway’s striker Erling Haaland spent his summer time in the USA enjoying within the World Cup, and returned house with a singular memento.
The 25-year-old soccer star made headlines when he was photographed carrying a taxidermy raccoon holding an empty liquor bottle when getting off a airplane at Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport on July 13.
Sharing a photograph from his arrival to his X account, Haaland quipped, “It adopted me house.”
Jan Langhaug/NTB/AFP through Getty Photos
Jan Langhaug/NTB/AFP through Getty Photos Norway’s striker Erling Braut Haaland will get off the airplane after Norway’s nationwide soccer staff landed at Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport on July 13, 2026. Norway have been knocked out within the quarter-final match towards England.
Because the photographs of him and his present went viral, it caught the eye of the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), who shared some ideas on what folks can and may’t fly with.
“We’re getting some questions on flying with taxidermy raccoons holding empty liquor bottles,” reads TSA’s July 14 message on social media. “It’s happy with us however pls test together with your airline first.”
The taxidermy raccoon was bought throughout his go to to Wild Invoice’s Western Retailer in Dallas, in keeping with the native retailer. On their Instagram story, they shared Haaland’s picture and commented, “We all know that raccoon! so cool seeing our little raccoon made it to Norway.”
Haaland filmed his go to to the shop and shared the expertise in a July 3 YouTube video he titled “Norway’s Texas Takeover.”
The ten-minute vlog exhibits the athlete attempting on quite a lot of western put on, together with boots and hats. It seems that he bought “4 hats, three winter hats and one summer time” hat, in keeping with the salesperson within the video.
Whereas purchasing round, Haaland additionally expressed curiosity in a shirt that mentioned, “Y’all can kiss my Dallas.”
Haaland, who turned a web-based sensation for U.S. World Cup viewers, couldn’t imagine how welcoming everybody was.
“Unbelievable, so good. I’m coming again right here,” he mentioned. “Persons are so good right here. So constructive. Don’t know what it’s, they’re… having fun with life. It’s wonderful.”
Haaland and the remainder of Crew Norway have been sadly eradicated throughout the quarterfinals. They returned to their house nation after they misplaced to England on July 11.
Since Haaland’s go to, gross sales from Wild Invoice’s have skyrocketed. The shop has even begun to supply worldwide transport for the primary time in its historical past, proprietor Julie Newport advised The Athletic.
“We’re someplace round 2,000 on-line orders proper now, about 30 per cent of that’s worldwide however day-after-day after we get up, now we have extra orders,” Newport advised the outlet. “For worldwide, we simply didn’t have that potential turned on earlier than (Haaland visited).”
Whereas Haaland didn’t share footage of his raccoon buy, which retails for $750, the shop nonetheless skilled vital curiosity in its taxidermy choice.
“We’ve had a few these taxidermy raccoons within the retailer for the previous couple of years, and he clearly gravitated to that and a few the squirrels,” Newport advised The Athletic. “(Since he posted on social media), we ordered one other raccoon — we put it out on the ground at present however by the point we put it on the ground, somebody already purchased it on-line.”
Sadly, the taxidermy specialist from whom the shop bought its critters has retired, so there may be restricted inventory of the well-known raccoon, Newport advised the outlet.
The shop isn’t shy about its affiliation to Haaland. Its web site proudly shows a blurb about its well-known fan.
“In search of one of the vital talked-about souvenirs at Wild Invoice’s?” the web site says. “Our squirrels and raccoons gained worldwide consideration after soccer celebrity Erling Haaland shared photographs from his go to to Wild Invoice’s Western Retailer throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup, introducing thousands and thousands of followers to one among Texas’ most sudden western traditions.”
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