Norwegian striker Erling Haaland arrived at Oslo's airport on 13/7 with his teammates, following their 1-2 defeat to England in the World Cup quarterfinals. On social media, Haaland posted a photo of himself walking on the tarmac, holding the stuffed raccoon, with the caption, "It followed me home".

Haaland also shared a Snapchat photo showing the raccoon next to two squirrels holding beer, referring to all three as "my old pals".

The Norwegian striker asked fans to help name the stuffed raccoon through an Instagram poll, offering four choices: "Cowboy", "Ranger", "TEX", or "R.O.W". The last option appears to reference the Norwegian team's viral rowing celebration on social media.

Erling Haaland at Oslo Airport, Norway on 13/7. Photo: X/Erling Haaland

Haaland likely purchased the stuffed raccoon at Wild Bill's Western store in Dallas, Texas, US. The item is listed for 750 USD on the store's website.

Before his flight to Oslo, Haaland posted a selfie wearing red sunglasses with the caption, "Goodbye, an emotional journey".

During his time competing, the 25-year-old striker embraced US Western culture, buying a pair of boots and several cowboy-style hats from a store in Dallas.

Haaland impressed US fans by scoring 7 goals, helping Norway reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time. After the defeat to England, Haaland stated it was "the 6 best weeks of my life".

In the quarterfinal match on 11/7 (early 12/7 Hanoi time), Haaland was surprisingly substituted during extra time. Explaining the decision to remove Haaland, coach Stale Solbakken said the striker suffered from a bruised thigh muscle.

"He had an excellent World Cup. We maximized Haaland's energy and strength match after match. I believe he had a bruised thigh muscle from the second half, compounded by fatigue. Although he was unlucky in a few situations, scoring 7 goals in 5 matches is a fantastic achievement", Solbakken said.

Huyen Le (According to Telegraph, People)