From chilly outpost to Europe's hottest talent

Athletic pedigree

Haaland was born on July 21,2000 in the English city of Leeds, where his father Alf-Inge played until just before the arrival of his son and a transfer to Manchester City.

Haaland senior was an international midfielder who made 34 appearances for Norway and played in the Premier League for the majority of his career until his retirement through injury in 2003, aged just 30 and still a City player.

The following year he moved his family to Bryne, which is where he had broken through as a youth product in the early 1990s.

Following in his father's footsteps, the young Haaland preferred soccer to athletics, the favorite sport of his mother Gry Marita Braut, a former heptathlon champion for Norway.

It was here the seeds were sown for Haaland's future career, and where he met Alf Ingve Berntsen, who coached a group of 40 youngsters, 39 boys and one talented girl－Norway youth international Andrea Norheim.

Following the philosophy of not leaving anyone behind and keeping all players engaged, everyone got the same amount of time on the pitch regardless of their skill level.

"Erling was small and rather lightweight, but given his genes we knew he would probably grow up to be a big guy," Berntsen said.

"Even though he was physically a bit inferior to the others, he scored so many goals that we thought 'Wow, imagine when he's big and strong'."

It was only years later, around the age of 15, that Haaland hit a growth spurt, soaring to 1.94 meters (6-foot-4).

Throughout his youth, he and his friends supplemented their weekly or twice-weekly club practices with countless improvised sessions at the local covered 'Jaerhallen' stadium－a rudimentary facility, but open to all.

"There wasn't much else to do in Bryne but play football, you know," said Haaland's former teammate Norheim.

"On weekends we would go out on the pitch, we didn't have to plan anything, we knew there was always someone to play with," she recalled.