HAALAND -NORWAY'S- HONOUR : GLOBAL STAGE

GOAL MACHINE : Haaland has been destined for greatness from a young age. Son of a former Norwegian international Alf-Inge Haaland and a national heptathlon champion Cry Marita Brant.

He possesses a rare blend of blistering pace and a towering 1.95 metre [ 6ft 5in] frame.

'' If you were building a centre-forward from the ground up, Erling is what you would be left with,''  former England Captain Alan Shearer told The Athletic.

'' He's a goal machine, someone who is quick and direct, who is physically strong and good in the air, who can score with both feet and and whose positioning is fantastic.''

Alf-Inge has been credited with careful management of his son's steady rise through the ranks of European football.

In 2019, Haaland offered an early insight into the devastation he can wreak, scoring nine times in a 12-0 hammering at the Under-20 World Cup.

But it was his explosion onto the Champions League scene that really caught the eye, with eight goals in six games in the 2019/20 season.

At international level his hit rate is better than a goal a game at 55 in 49 caps.

'' Its a different kind of gathering, which I really like in football. It brings people together, not only at the stadium in the country, but around the whole world, in front of the TV and all of that,'' Haaland added on his first taste of a major tournament.

Born to deliver on the world stage, Haaland now has the platform he and Norway have long craved.

!WOW! thanks AFP.