Why everyone loves Erling Haaland, Norway’s giant blonde striker

By CNN
July 11, 2026 | 11:00 AM

(CNN) — After Spain edged past Belgium in dramatic fashion yesterday, we have not one but two quarterfinal matches today.

First, England will look to end Norway’s fairytale run at this World Cup in a match that pits two of the best strikers in the world against each other – Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

Then, after a short break, the action gets back underway with Lionel Messi’s Argentina facing Switzerland. The prize for both matches is the same: a spot in Wednesday’s semifinal.

But before we get into all of that, it’s my honor to speak more about my favorite soccer player on the planet.

The Main Thing: Why the world has fallen in love with Erling Haaland

He’s just everywhere, isn’t he? You can’t go anywhere on the internet without seeing a reel or meme with Erling Haaland’s face plastered all over it.

Whether it’s him buying cowboy hats in Texas, pranking people into thinking he isn’t a soccer superstar or just documenting his daily life on social media, Haaland’s personality has struck a chord with the general public, and he’s already the unofficial star of the World Cup.

Let’s quickly deal with what he’s done on the pitch so far. Haaland has scored five goals and fired Norway into the quarterfinals against England. Even if he loses today, the 25-year-old has led the team to levels that few could have ever imagined.

But he has such raw ability that even those without an interest in soccer can see he’s something different and someone a little special. There is just a simplicity to everything he does on and off the pitch that makes him strangely relatable and real.

It’s a testament to his global appeal that I’m sure you’ll have had conversations about Haaland no matter where you are in the world, even with people you didn’t think cared about this World Cup. Even my sister-in-law from Ireland, who has no interest in soccer, seems obsessed.

“I don’t like football but seeing the giant blonde man bulldoze through defenders and nonchalantly score goals is great entertainment,” she texted the other day, capturing the raw energy that makes him so popular.

Before the rest of the world fell in love with Haaland, those who follow soccer closely had already enjoyed years of entertainment.

He first started drawing eyeballs after smashing defenses and scoring a bag full of goals in the Champions League. But it was also his post-match interviews that became such a joy to watch – just so honest, so real and ultimately so funny.

Then, as he moved up the ranks, we’ve learned more about his life and fallen further in love with maybe the most likeable superstar in soccer. Whether it’s his long-term relationship with his partner, his own YouTube channel, his love for drinking raw milk, his appetite for eating kebab pizzas, his stint making his own rap video or his ability to wind up opponents like no one else can.

Even now, after years of media training, he’s often got a wicked line up his sleeve. After all, he’s spent the last few days urging the British media to put more pressure on the England team, doing so with that trademark grin and glint in his eye.

That maverick attitude is something he’s translated onto the pitch at this World Cup, and any pitch he steps onto, to be honest. His trademark smirk and knowing stare are now feared by any opponent up against Norway, but don’t be fooled into thinking Haaland isn’t serious about his career.

He is a true professional and dedicates his life to getting better. And while he’s quick to laugh and make a joke, there is a real steeliness to his game. Whatever he says, he knows he has the ability to take Norway into the semifinals, and he’ll be willing to run through a brick wall to make that happen.

England will have spent the last week trying to build that wall strong enough to stop him.

England vs. Norway

When? 5 p.m. ET

Where? Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium), Miami Gardens, USA

As we said earlier, this game all about two strikers – England’s Kane and Norway’s Haaland.

Both have had a brilliant tournament so far and will be huge goal threats throughout the match. Neither needs to have a particularly good game, or even touch the ball much, to walk off having scored a hat trick.

England will be slight favorites given the amount of world-class quality supporting its star man. Jude Bellingham has arguably been his nation’s best player this summer, and he’ll once again look to form a dangerous double-act with his captain.

The one question for England remains its defense. A couple of injury concerns and a suspension means Thomas Tuchel could be a little short on numbers in a backline that hasn’t really settled so far.

As for Norway, Haaland will be the main man but not the only cause of concern for the Three Lions. Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard is a brilliant playmaker when he’s allowed time and space to start dominating the midfield. His club teammate Declan Rice will be against him today in a battle which could prove decisive in this tie.

This is going to be a brilliant match and one that’s going to be worth a watch in the intense Miami heat.

Quote of the day

The words of Norway’s most capped player, John Arne Riise, who spoke to CNN about his nation’s upcoming quarterfinal.

Norway has never reached this stage of the World Cup, let alone made the final four, but the former defender, who played 110 times for his country, believes this new generation can find a way of beating England in Miami.

“I think it’s going to happen for many reasons,” the former Liverpool star said. “The confidence in the team is high, the sense of humor and the energy in the team is good.

“It’s a massive pressure on England, so I have strong belief [Norway] is going to do it.”

WATCH: The story behind Norway’s viral ‘viking row’

You’re going to be seeing a lot more of this viral trend should Norway manage to uspet the odds and beat England later today.

But what exactly is the “viking row” that’s been seen across North America this summer? Watch the video below from earlier in the tournament to find out more.

The Norway fan who won’t be rowing anywhere

But wait, not everyone has bought into this whole rowing malarkey.

Norway fan Emil Lappen has gone viral for refusing to take part in the trend, arguing it’s not historically accurate.

He has described it as both “stupid” and “annoying” after a photo of him not joining spread across the internet.

“It’s factually wrong,” he told Sky Sports (with a pair of oars hung up on a wall behind him…)

“The Vikings sailed across the Atlantic, the Vikings didn’t row across the Atlantic.”

Lappen, who I think is being entirely serious, vowed not to “row anywhere” before, during or after the England match, opting instead to watch from the comfort of his own chair.

I, for one, think Lappen is fantastic.

Argentina vs. Switzerland

When? 9 p.m. ET

Where? Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), Kansas City, USA

I can’t believe I’ve gone this far into the newsletter without talking more about Lionel Messi.

The magician will once again be taking to the World Cup stage to lead Argentina in a quarterfinal against Switzerland. It’s incredible the defending champion has made it this far, having looked all but out against Egypt in the Round of 16.

But a late comeback, filled with drama and controversy, has brought them another step toward retaining that coveted title on July 19.

Argentina will be heavy favorite against a Switzerland team that reached the quarterfinals after narrowly sneaking past Colombia in a penalty shootout last time out.

The Swiss are the lowest-ranked side left in the tournament and will have to deliver their greatest-ever performance to reach the semifinals. It will look to captain Granit Xhaka for inspiration, and the midfield general doesn’t appear scared of the prospect of facing Messi and Co.

“We know Argentina has many fine qualities. Few talk about the Swiss qualities,” he said Friday. “Tomorrow we will talk on the pitch, and we will show what we can do, and everything else doesn’t matter.”

Should Argentina take Lionel Messi off penalty duty?

It’s a question that the Argentinian coaches will surely be asking themselves, even if they’re too afraid to say it out loud.

Lionel Messi is the team’s leader, the captain, the source of inspiration. Everything runs through him. He sets the standard and drags others up to his level. But, despite all that, he’s just not very reliable at taking penalties.

He’s failed from the penalty spot on two occasions during this tournament, and the second one in particular could have proved fatal to the nation’s dream of defending its World Cup crown. So, with another knockout game fast approaching, will Messi step up if Argentina is awarded another spot kick?

The data from Opta Analyst suggests he probably shouldn’t. On average, it says 79% of penalties are scored. When Messi steps up, that drops down to 77%. To break it down further, Opta says out of the 148 penalties he’s taken during his club and international career, he’s scored 114 and missed 34.

Of course, very few players will have taken as many penalties as Messi over the years, and that experience counts for something in the highest-pressure moments. Don’t forget he scored from the penalty spot during the World Cup final in 2022.

But Opta says there are five Argentine players with a better conversation rate than the main man, with defensive midfielder Leandro Paredes having the best.

Given how much Argentina has relied on Messi over the years, and how he’s repaid that faith with silverware, I can’t imagine he’ll step down from his duties but it might well be playing on manager Lionel Scaloni’s mind.

Sailors on carriers like the USS Abraham Lincoln feel the strain as Navy deployments stretch longer

By CNN
August 15, 2026 | 12:07 AM

(CNN) — The USS Abraham Lincoln is in the midst of a record-setting deployment, kept out of port for more than six months as the carrier’s crew faces morale and mental health concerns. The ship may break a record for the longest trip away from its home port for a US carrier since the Vietnam War.That record was set just months ago by the USS Gerald R. Ford after that ship completed a 326-day deployment that included operations against Iran and Venezuela.It’s part of a pattern, with the US Navy increasingly asking its aircraft carrier groups to exceed the service’s recommended deployment duration of seven months, according to a CNN analysis of deployment announcements and the USNI News fleet tracker.Experts and former officials have warned that the trend could place more stress on the ships and lead to burnout among sailors or even push some to leave the Navy altogether.A crew member serving on the Lincoln described morale on the ship as very low and said they had heard repeatedly about suicidal ideation by fellow crew members. And there were regular strains on essential amenities — toilets and water fountains around the ship frequently closed and hot water often unavailable, the crew member said.“Everyday we wake up and listen to our Captain speak, we are desperately hoping and anxious for updates on our return,” the crew member told CNN.Other sailors aboard the Lincoln who spoke with CNN described conditions unlike their prior deployments, largely due to the combat that has kept the carrier from making stops at friendly ports. Ships can take on new supplies and allow its sailors to rest and relax during those port calls.The ship has experienced intermittent food shortages, low supplies of hygiene items, and problems with the water system, sailors and family members told CNN.“You used to be able to go to the ship store and get as many items as you want, with every hygiene product consistently available,” one sailor, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal, told CNN. Now there are limits on purchases and “hardly any hygiene products (are) readily available.”Kate Kuzminski, a defense expert who oversees research at the Center for a New American Security think tank, said the Navy needs to realign its deployment model with reality to properly set expectations for sailors and their families.“What does it do to a family who’s newly assigned to the Ford?” asked Kuzminski, who argued that “it could drive people’s or families’ decisions to get out (of the Navy).”CNN previously reported that two sailors assigned to the Lincoln strike group have jumped overboard in recent months. Both were rescued alive, US officials said. Others were prevented from jumping, according to reports from the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes.The father of a sailor aboard the Lincoln who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity, said he understands sailors like his child join the Navy to do their jobs and doing them in combat is inherently hard – but he questions why relief hasn’t come sooner and whether some of the mental strain from the long deployment could have been prevented.The Navy said in a statement to CNN, “We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service member’s well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise.”A US official added that the Navy does not believe there is a correlation between deployment length and thoughts of self-harm and that man overboard incidents are not unique to this fleet.President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to address a question about the length of the Lincoln deployment, telling reporters that it had been “not nearly long enough.”The wife of one service member aboard the Lincoln who requested anonymity told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday that the president doesn’t think “before he talks,” and urged both he and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to have “some empathy.”“Take some accountability for what’s going on with your military, your ships, in your war. In your war. It’s infuriating,” she said.Increasing stress on the fleetThe median length of US-based aircraft carrier deployments has steadily increased since 2020, according to the data reviewed by CNN.The Navy’s plan has aimed to provide predictable three-year cycles for sailors that include a seven-month/210-day deployment, according to Adm. Daryl Caudle. Between 2018 and 2022, most deployments remained under or within a few days of the target length.However, the sea service has routinely missed that mark since the October 2023 Hamas terror attacks against Israel sparked a spate of extended deployments.The USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower both saw deployments extended after the Israel-Hamas war began — the Ford returned home in January 2024 after 260 days away, and the Ike’s July 2024 homecoming came after 274 days.Three different carrier deployments that began in 2024 exceeded 250 days.The following year, 2025, saw the carrier force even more stretched, with two extended deployments passing 270 days, including the Ford’s post-Vietnam War record breaker 326-day trip, which began in June 2025.That deployment took the supercarrier from homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, first to Europe and next to the Caribbean, where its planes struck Venezuela during the raid that captured former strongman Nicolas Maduro, and then to the Middle East where it participated in Operation Epic Fury against Iran despite a major fire.Experts told CNN that on extended missions, like that undertaken by the Ford and the Lincoln, components wear out and repairs at sea serve as temporary band aids. Other minor issues also begin to compound: arresting cables that catch landing aircraft begin to fray, and saltwater seeps into shipboard systems, among others.Those issues can add up and increase the chances of mishaps, the sources said.Burnout for crew members and their families can also become a concern, experts and former officials told CNN.Retired Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, who previously served as the Navy Surgeon General during the Covid-19 pandemic, told CNN that one of the “critical factors” of extended deployments during the pandemic, which did not allow ships to make port calls, was “how resilient the sailors and Marines were.”“This is not unprecedented,” Gillingham said. “I mean, when you look at the history of the Navy, world events require that deployments be lengthened, and the sailors answer the call … The Navy plays the away game, that’s the nature of the business, and it’s very good at it. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t put stress on the people and the ships.”Retention of naval aviators and maintenance personnel has been an area of significant concern this year, according to sources familiar with the Navy’s internal discussions.Earlier this year, Hegseth ordered a review of retention struggles for sailors assigned to Navy Strike Fighter Squadrons, according to a March memo from Hegseth obtained by CNN. To retain top talent, the Navy is also offering flight officers and naval aviators tens of thousands of dollars annually in bonuses.Meanwhile, a third 2025 deployment — that of the USS Abraham Lincoln — remains underway nearly nine months after the ship left San Diego on November 21. Most of its crew last touched land in Guam for a December 11 port call. Although a Japan-based carrier, the USS George Washington, is on its way to relieve the Lincoln from its blockade duties in the Persian Gulf, the Lincoln may break the Ford’s deployment length record on its way home to California.Struggles on the LincolnThe continued deployment of the Lincoln has placed strains on families, several relatives of those serving on the carrier told CNN.Care packages sent by sailors’ family members sometimes arrive months late or go missing entirely, Ashley T., the mother of a sailor aboard the Lincoln said. She requested that CNN withhold her last name to protect the sailor’s identity.“I understand they are in a combat zone, but if they aren’t allowed any port calls, the least (the Navy) could do is make sure they are getting packages in a timely fashion,” she said.Another family member, who requested anonymity to protect their sailor, shared photos of overflowing toilets in sewage-saturated restroom areas — an issue also experienced by the Ford during its deployment.The spouse of a service member aboard the Lincoln who spoke to CNN told Tapper on Friday, “He is saying that it is the worst deployment that he’s ever been on.”“My husband is a very leave-it-at-work type of person,” she said. “He gets his job done. He comes home, and he lets it go at work. He does his best. He works very hard for United States military, and he’s even said that he finds himself changing. He feels himself being angrier and more frustrated, and that’s just very unlike him. So it’s very hard to hear that as his wife when I can’t do anything about it. I can’t help him.”The conditions have fueled concerns about sailor mental health as well and scrutiny from lawmakers such as Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote a letter to the Pentagon demanding answers on that status of the crew.Leaders aboard the strike group’s ships are working to improve conditions for their sailors, they previously told CNN.Capt. Casey Mahon, who commands the USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., acknowledged to CNN’s Pamela Brown aboard the destroyer last month that the combat conditions pose a “very stressful situation” for the sailors. He said the ship holds group therapy and venting sessions where sailors can provide feedback, and leaders encourage lighter-hearted methods of stress relief such as ice cream socials and bulletin boards where sailors can post memes about their experiences.And despite the challenges, the sailors of the Lincoln strike group have launched approximately 10,000 aircraft flights supporting strikes on Iran and enforcing the US blockade of the country, according to US Central Command.Yet Navy officials have been questioning the current model in light of recent operations.The Navy’s top enlisted sailor, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman, recently criticized the existing cycle as a “conveyor belt that’s very prescriptive” derived from a “peacetime mindset.”“We’re going to have to come up with a different force generation model,” Perryman said while discussing the USS Gerald R. Ford’s 11-month deployment during a recent Military Officers Association of America event.Part of the problem is that aircraft carriers are a finite asset: the US has eleven of the ships, some of which are aging and pending replacement with new Ford-class supercarriers. Not all the ships are simultaneously available due to maintenance requirements and reactor fueling schedules as well.The new Ford-class carriers have faced repeated delays, too. The USS John F. Kennedy, which began its final sea trials this week, is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in March 2027 — nearly two years later than originally projected.And recently announced changes to the USS Doris Miller — the next scheduled Ford-class supercarrier — could delay its construction even further, experts told CNN.Trump directed that the Navy scrap its plans to use an electromagnetic system for launching aircraft from future Ford-class ships. The current ships in the class use the system, but the Miller and future ships will use steam-powered launch catapults like those on the legacy Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.That will require the Miller to be redesigned, Hudson Institute shipbuilding expert Bryan Clark told CNN. The cost “will probably be into the billions” and it could delay the carrier — which was expected to be in service around 2034 — “until the end of the next decade.”Any delay could force the Navy to extend deployments to cover for a ship it had planned to have available or operate its last-generation Nimitz-class carriers beyond their 50-year service life.Davis Winkie’s work at CNN is supported by a partnership between Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners (JFP). CNN retains full editorial control of the reporting.CNN’s Kaanita Iyer, Sean Lyngaas, Zachary Cohen, Brian Todd and Ross Adkin contributed to this report.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The Main Thing: Why the world has fallen in love with Erling Haaland

England vs. Norway

Quote of the day

WATCH: The story behind Norway’s viral ‘viking row’

The Norway fan who won’t be rowing anywhere

Argentina vs. Switzerland

Should Argentina take Lionel Messi off penalty duty?

Related Stories

The world’s oldest president left for a ‘brief stay’ in Europe. He hasn’t returned in two months

Hawaii under a hurricane warning as Tropical Storm Lala takes aim

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits to shooting Brian Thompson

El CEO que despidió a 900 personas por Zoom justo antes de Navidad quiere recuperar su trabajo

El "Dragon Lady" de la NASA revela cómo los incendios forestales generan tormentas