Erling Haaland returns to Norway with bizarre souvenir after World Cup exit

Erling Haaland's World Cup might be over but he still has the internet talking with the souvenir he's returned to Norway with from the US.

Norway were defeated 2-1 by England in the World Cup quarter finals on Saturday, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice to secure The Three Lions place in the semi finals where they will face Argentina on Wednesday (July 15).

From his comical Snapchats to his bromance with Bellingham, to prompting a 'Scandi Summer' trend, Haaland has become a footy fan favourite during the tournament.

Now everyone's talking about the taxidermy raccoon holding holding a bottle of whiskey that the 25-year-old picked up as a souvenir in the States as he was spotted holding the figurine when disembarking off a plane.

Reuters

Haaland bought the interesting souvenir at a western shop called Wild Bills in Dallas, The Sun reported. It's apparently worth £560 and is known as a Whiskey Raccoon H-MT-F.

That wasn't the only thing he bought as he reportedly also purchased cowboy hats, boots, belt buckles and a t-shirt that says “Y’all can kiss my Dallas."

In a recent post, Haaland himself took to his Instagram Stories to share a snap of himself holding the taxidermy raccoon and added a poll for his followers to help him name his furry friend.

"Help me name my new buddy," the footballer wrote, and gave four options which are, "Cowboy," "Ranger," "TEX," and "R.O.W. (Raccoon on Wheels)."

At the time of writing, "R.O.W. (Raccoon on Wheels)" was in the lead with 38 per cent of the vote.

In a main grid post, Haaland also shared the photo with the humorous caption, "It followed me home."

The internet has been loving seeing Haaland's raccoon souvenir, with the photo going viral on social media.

"Only 5 original sentences left," one person said.

A second person wrote, "This man truly embodies the Ilya Rozanov spirit in a way no other athlete ever could," referencing the character from Heated Rivalry.

"Just hanging out with my new friend," a raccoon account commented.

Someone else added, "I had never heard of this man until he spelled orlando wrong on instagram and now I think I'd die for him??"

Why not read...

• World Cup fans are obsessed with Erling Haaland's Snapchat
• Watch Haaland gush about Bellingham as bromance continues despite loss

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