Erling Haaland might not have brought home the World Cup trophy to Norway, but he did return with a US memento – a taxidermied $750 (£560) raccoon holding a whisky bottle. The star striker, 25, made his highly anticipated World Cup debut, scoring seven goals in the tournament. Footage shows Haaland exiting the plane in Oslo with the “Whiskey Raccoon H-MT-F” from Wild Bill’s Western Store under his arm. The Norwegian team received a heroes’ welcome upon their return home, with thousands of fans lining the capital’s streets for an open-top bus parade to celebrate the country’s best-ever World Cup. Norway’s tournament ended after a 2-1 defeat to England in the quarter-finals.

Erling Haaland and his team-mates touched down back in Norway to a heroes welcome after their World Cup exploits - with the forward curiously carrying a stuffed raccoon in his…

El delantero adquirió su “nueva mascota” en la tienda Wild Bill’s Western Store de Dallas, donde disputó los dieciseisavos de final de la Copa del Mundo; el artículo tiene un…

"It followed me home," the internet-viral Norwegian striker joked of the raccoon in an X post.