Yes, Erling Haaland brought home a taxidermy raccoon from his World Cup travels

Yes, Erling Haaland brought home a taxidermy raccoon from his World Cup travels

Soccer star seen exiting plane in Oslo after Norway was eliminated from tournament

At this point, it's possible Erling Haaland's fans would expect nothing less.

Norway's star soccer striker, who gained some 12 million new followers on Instagram alone since the 2026 FIFA World Cup started, was photographed stepping off the team plane in Oslo Monday carrying a Dolce & Gabbana tote in one hand and a taxidermy raccoon in the other.

The raccoon figure, in turn, was carrying an empty bottle of gin.

"It followed me home," Haaland offered as an explanation in an Instagram post with 6.6 million likes as of Tuesday morning. He also posted a poll asking fans to "help me name my new buddy," with the options Cowboy, Ranger, TEX, and R.O.W. (short for raccoon on wheels).

The owner of Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas, confirmed to The Athletic that Haaland purchased the raccoon during his visit to the city for Norway's match against Ivory Coast. He also bought a cowboy hat, snakeskin boots and a shirt that reads "Y'all can kiss my Dallas."

The store posted several comments and stories since the first photos of Haaland and his new travel companion emerged, including one that read: "We know that raccoon! So cool seeing our little raccoon made it to Norway."

Store owner Julie Newport told the Athletic that they've had a couple taxidermy raccoons in the store for the past few years, and that Haaland "gravitated" to them as well as a "couple of the squirrels."

"We ordered another raccoon — we put it out on the floor today but by the time we put it on the floor, someone already bought it online," Newport said.

CBC News has also reached out to the store, but has not heard back.

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A taxidermy "whiskey raccoon" — despite the figure actually holding a bottle of gin — is now listed as sold out on the store site, but was previously listed for $750 US ($1,054 Cdn).

All four taxidermy squirrels — which range from $450 to $500 US ($632 to $702 Cdn) and have names like "drunken squirrel," "belligerent squirrel," "Sherriff squirrel" and "stripper squirrel" — are also sold out as of Tuesday.

"Our squirrels and raccoons gained worldwide attention" after Haaland shared photos with the critters, the store's website now reads, adding that he introduced "millions of fans to one of Texas's most unexpected western traditions."

"These iconic mounts are guaranteed to be a conversation starter."

A snapchat video previously posted by Haaland and re-posted by fans on TikTok appears to show the soccer star filming two of the squirrels and the whiskey raccoon in his hotel room.

It's currently unclear what became of the squirrels.

Haaland, who plays for the Premier League's Manchester City, is already a well-known and successful soccer player, having won nine major trophies with the club, including the prestigious Champions League trophy.

But the 25-year-old's popularity surged over the course of the tournament thanks in part to his dry, goofy sense of humour and on-pitch athleticism.

Haaland posted a video about his visit to Wild Bill's to his YouTube channel on July 3, where he talked about how friendly everyone is in Dallas and how much he'd like to return.

"Texas has been amazing," he said.

Norway lost its quarterfinal game against England Saturday. On Sunday, Haaland wrote, "It’s been quite a row, thank you for making it so special" — a reference to the team's notorious Viking row chant.

On Monday, he wrote, "Goodbye, America. It's been emotional!"

The history behind Norway’s Viking row at the FIFA World Cup

Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.

With files from Anya Zoledziowski