Why Erling Haaland has ‘Braut’ on his Norway World Cup jersey
Norway’s striker Erling Haaland scored two goals in their big 4-1 win over Iraq on Tuesday (June 17). But fans couldn’t help but notice that the name on his shirt was different from what he usually wears for Manchester City.
Norway made a strong comeback to the World Cup after 28 years, winning convincingly against Iraq. Haaland scored the first goal just before the 30-minute mark, and though Iraq’s Aymen Hussein equalized 10 minutes later, Haaland quickly put Norway back in front with his second goal just before halftime—his 57th international goal!
Later, Leo Ostigard headed in a corner from Martin Odegaard in the 76th minute to make it 3-1, and then an own goal by Hussein during injury time wrapped up the win at 4-1.
Even with this great team effort, fans noticed Haaland’s name on his Norway jersey looked a bit different than the one he wears for Man City. On his club shirt, he just has “Haaland” with the number nine. But for Norway, his shirt says “Braut Haaland.”
Here’s why: Braut is his mom’s maiden name. He uses both last names on his national team kit and on his social media. This is a common tradition in Norway, where people often use both mom’s and dad’s last names.
The Athletic explains: “’Braut’ comes from his mom, Gry Marita Braut, a former champion athlete, and ‘Haaland’ comes from his dad, Alf-Inge Haaland, who used to play for Leeds United and Manchester City.”
Although Haaland was born in Leeds, England, he’s proud to be Norwegian. He moved back to Bryne, his parents’ hometown, when he was three and started his football journey there before moving on to bigger clubs.
Because he was born in England, Haaland could have played for the English national team, but in a 2023 interview with GOAL, he shared why he chose Norway. He said, “I lived in England for a few years, but I spent most of my life in Norway, so it felt natural to choose Norway. Maybe if my dad had stayed longer in England, things could’ve been different, but I’m Norwegian and proud of it.”
Next up, Norway will play Senegal on June 23, then face France on June 26.