The FIFA World Cup is not just about goals, upsets and new heroes; it also finds its way into birth records. While Erling Haaland was making headlines with his performances for Norway, Peru was recording a notable increase in babies being named after the striker, further proof of how the tournament leaves a cultural imprint that reaches far beyond the stadiums.
According to Peru's National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC), 468 Peruvians already bear the surname Haaland, and a further 91 children have been registered with his full name, Erling Haaland.
Registrations have picked up since the start of the tournament and surged further after Norway's historic run to the quarter-finals, where they were eventually knocked out. Haaland has been one of the standout players of this World Cup, scoring seven goals, including a decisive strike against Brazil in the knockout stage, before his side's exit.
Haaland is Norwegian... and now Peruvian
RENIEC spokesman Iván Torres told Peruvian broadcaster Televisión Panamericana that football stars tend to set the trend when it comes to choosing names for newborns in Peru. With the profession's characteristic sense of humour, he added: "Haaland is Peruvian too."
