The Grandover Resort and Spa has had a recent facelift, so guests in Greensboro can now wind down in even greater luxury – with a round of golf or an afternoon in the spa, perhaps even a wander through the in-house art gallery.
On Thursday afternoon, however, one new arrival could have been forgiven for allowing his mind to wander beyond the confines of this North Carolina enclave. To Mexico City and Soccer City.
For Erling Haaland, Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa carried particular significance. For one? It kicked off the first World Cup of his career and began the countdown to Norway’s first match at a major tournament in nearly three decades.
But Mexico-South Africa was also where it all started. Haaland was only nine when the 2010 World Cup began with a racket in Johannesburg. That 1-1 draw, that strike from Siphiwe Tshabalala, was the first World Cup moment that left a mark.
‘We all have those memories, right?’ Haaland tells Daily Mail Sport. And by the end of that summer, the now 25-year-old had fallen for the tiki-taka that carried Spain to the trophy. His World Cup love affair has continued through players such as James Rodriguez and Miroslav Klose.
‘For me it was maybe a bit different because Norway weren’t there,’ Haaland says. ‘So you just watched everything.’
Norway and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is playing in his first World Cup this summer
‘I’ve grown up like any other fan – at home with friends and family watching on TV,’ says Haaland. ‘Now it’s different because I’ll be there’
Klose remains the World Cup’s record goalscorer, having racked up 16 across four tournaments. This summer, at last, Haaland will begin to hunt him down – starting on Tuesday against Iraq in Boston.
‘I can’t wait,’ the Manchester City star says. He is the world’s deadliest striker but until this summer, Norway hadn’t reached a World Cup since 1998. Their most recent major tournament – Euro 2000 – ended a couple of weeks before Haaland was born. He has never even been to a World Cup game.
‘This will be my first taste of it,’ he says. ‘It’s an amazing feeling. Something I’ve thought about for a long time… I’ve grown up like any other fan – at home with friends and family watching on TV. Now it’s different because I’ll be there, be a part of it. That’s what you dream about.’
After all those years of waiting and longing, Norway are finally back and many believe Stale Solbakken’s team could collect a few scalps this summer. As well as Haaland and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, their squad features the likes of Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer, Crystal Palace forward Jorgen Strand Larsen and Haaland’s ex-City team-mate Oscar Bobb. Not bad for a country of five-and-a-half million people.
‘We have a great group of players who have come through together, so we know each other really well and enjoy playing together,’ the striker says. ‘That’s important.’
Norway have been drawn in a brutal group alongside Iraq, Senegal and France. ‘It’s not going to be easy,’ Haaland admits. ‘But we have to believe we can go through the group and then see what happens. One step at a time.’
The last couple of weeks suggest that – however far they go – Norway won’t be a dull watch. What a bizarre build-up it has been. Before flying out to North America, Haaland, Odegaard and Co headed to a private beach in Oslo. There, the Norway squad gathered for their team picture. They were dressed as Vikings – carrying swords and shields and bows and horns.
Haaland and his team-mates dressed as a Vikings for the Norway pre-World Cup shoot
The Norway squad, carrying swords and shields and bows and horns, gathered at a private beach in Oslo
The circus continued when Haaland starred in a Nike advert that featured Channing Tatum as his lookalike.
And then Solbakken took a pop at Scotland for cancelling a training match at late notice.
Thankfully, Iraq have nowhere to run on Tuesday and so, for the very first time, Haaland will lead Norway into a World Cup game.
The striker has just spent another long season in the Premier League pressure cooker, shouldering the burden of goals for City. Now he carries the hopes of a nation on the biggest stage of all.
‘It’s pressure, of course, but I like that,’ the 25-year-old insists. The data would appear to support his argument – in 50 caps for Norway since 2019, Haaland has scored 55 goals.
‘We’ve not been there for a long time so to have the chance to represent your country at a World Cup is special,’ he says. ‘That’s what you want as a player. People expect things from us and from me. That’s normal. I just focus on my job and try to deliver.’
Haaland is already his country’s top goalscorer, having amassed more than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Tore Andre Flo combined. The previous record – 33, held by Jorgen Juve – had stood since 1937; in World Cup qualifying alone, Haaland amassed 16 goals as Solbakken’s side won all eight matches.
In World Cup qualifying, Haaland amassed 16 goals as Norway won all eight matches
Haaland is already his country’s top goalscorer with 55. The previous record – 33, held by Jorgen Juve – had stood since 1937
No one else in Europe, including Harry Kane, scored more than eight. They could have been team-mates, given Haaland was born in Yorkshire shortly after his father, Alf-Inge, left Leeds for Manchester City.
But the family moved to Norway a few years later and Haaland’s loyalties have never wavered. Despite all his nation’s near misses. Despite all the time he has spent in England with his dad and, more recently, with City.
The striker is a regular back in the small town of Bryne – where he grew up – and he has teased a future career in farming. This summer, Norway have reportedly brought 300kg of red fish and 116kg of brown cheese to the United States. All to ensure their stars are well fed for their group of death.
The fate of Solbakken’s side will depend heavily on Haaland’s finishing and the creativity of Odegaard. They have just spent another season on opposite ends of a Premier League tug of war, Pep Guardiola bowing out with a rare runners-up medal.
‘Look at his record,’ Haaland says of Guardiola. ‘It’s not normal. At Barcelona, at Bayern (Munich), at City, the way his teams play, the records, the trophies. But for me it’s also how he works day-to-day. The details, the way he improves players. He makes everyone better. That’s the biggest thing.’
It remains to be seen what Guardiola’s next move is but a spell in the US can’t be ruled out after he spent a previous sabbatical in New York, enjoying the sport on offer among other things.
‘You can see how big sport is in the US,’ Haaland says. ‘When I’ve been here with City, the reception has been incredible. The stadiums, the fans, the facilities – everything is on a huge scale. It’s a great place to play.’
‘It’s how Pep Guardiola works day-to-day. The details, the way he improves players. He makes everyone better,’ says Haaland of his former City manager
Norway are in a group of death with Iraq, Senegal and France. ‘It’s not going to be easy,’ Haaland admits. ‘But we have to believe we can go through’
To prove it, Haaland and his Norway team-mates took in a Stanley Cup match on Thursday night, cheering on the Carolina Hurricanes against the Vegas Golden Knights in Raleigh, North Carolina.
It is great for the World Cup, too, that one of the sport’s biggest stars is here at last. Even if the Haaland family don’t have a great track record in the US. Back in 1994, his father was part of the Norway team that finished bottom of Group E – despite all four teams finishing level on points.
Alf-Inge missed their final game through suspension. So he watched from the stands in East Rutherford – where in a few weeks’ time the World Cup final will take place.
Thankfully, his son doesn’t remember that. MetLife has replaced the old Giants Stadium and now, at last, it’s time for Erling Haaland to make World Cup memories of his own.
