Norwegian and Manchester City forward Erling Haaland was booed by his own players after a loss against Scotland.
Erling Haaland had a great season with Manchester City which saw him spearhead their treble win and score more than 50 goals this season. He then returned to international duty with Norway. Specifically, they faced Scotland as part of their Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Haaland managed to put Norway ahead through a penalty scored in the second half. He was then substituted while they were leading. But just three minutes later Lynon Dykes equalized for Scotland.
Kenny McLean then scored the winner in the 89th minute, meaning Norway start off their qualification process with a loss.
Why fans booed Erling Haaland?
But the most viral thing about the match was Haaland being booed by his own fans.
As he left the stadium after the heartbreaking loss, many supporters of Norway chanted his name to get his attention. They were waiting to get some autographs and some pictures of their favorite star, with many of the fans being young kids.
But the Norwegian forward just waved to the fans and went straight to the team bus. This led to the fans getting a bit angry and they started to boo him for his ignorance. The video of the whole incident is given below.
Understandably, the fans were waiting a long time to meet their idol. For him to just go away without interacting with them is a sign of a lack of respect for the fans.
But we have to see it from Haaland’s perspective as well. He just lost a chance to win a crucial game in the qualifiers. Haaland clearly wanted to qualify for the Euros 2024, which could have been his first international tournament.
In his post-game press conference, Norway manager Stale Solbakken did say Haaland was feeling “completely empty”. He felt sad that he was substituted when his presence could have seen them win the game.
Erling Haaland’s perfect season
But despite the loss and the boos, Haaland had a very good season. The striker scored 52 goals in 52 appearances this season. He broke the all-time Premier League goalscoring record for a single season with 36 goals. And it took him just his debut season to do that. Haaland was the top scorer in the Champions League as well with 12 goals.
Aside from the statistics, he has also helped City win a glorious treble. They have won the Champions League, their maiden title, the FA Cup, and the Premier League.
Haaland is now battling the legendary Lionel Messi for a first Ballon d’Or. He is seen as the only competition to Messi’s bid to win another Ballon d’Or. While Messi may seem like the favorite due to his World Cup success, winning a treble and playing a major part in it is no lesser feat.
So, while Haaland may not have the same success with his country yet, he is definitely doing great on the club part. And who knows maybe one day, even Haaland wins something for Norway.
