Erling Haaland can do anything on a football pitch, but did you know that he holds a world record in athletics as well?
There is seemingly nothing
Erling Haaland cannot do. The Norwegian superstar fired two goals on Sunday night to send his country to face England in the World Cup quarter-finals at the expense of the mighty Brazil, but his sporting career could have taken a very different path if he chose to follow in his mother's footsteps instead of his father's.
Famously the son of former Premier League footballer
Alf-Inge Haaland, Erling's mother doesn't hold quite have the same fame, but she was still a great athlete in her own right.
Gry Marita Braut was one of Norway's brightest heptathlon stars in the 1990's, competing at the top level and winning a National Championship title.
Her son honours her legacy by keeping her surname "Braut" on his national team jersey's back along with Haaland, and Erling could have clearly followed in her footsteps as well, which he showcased at just 5 years old!
In his hometown of Bryne in January 2006, the young Erling made a slightly longer than average step for a man, but a giant leap for a 5-year old of 1.63 meters. Jumping less than the length equivalent to the height of Lionel Messi doesn't sound that impressive, but it was in fact the World Record standing long jump for 5-year olds!
The Norwegian superstar holds the record that measures at 5 feet and 4 inches jointly with Finland's
Roope Tyynismaa, who didn't even know he held the World Record when contacted by a Finnish news outlet in 2020.
- I had no clue that I held a World Record before you contacted me. It's been so long ago that I can't even remember the competition, let alone the jump. I didn't recognize Haaland's name at first as the other holder, but after I heard I read about him, it's nice that this news has come out, Tyynismaa told Ilkka-Pohjalainen.
You'd imagine since 2020 the young Finn has seen far more of Haaland's name across headlines, but sadly we're only left to contemplate what could have been if Erling chose to pursue athletics instead of football.
Admittedly, he probably made the right choice and is now a hero of Norway, Manchester, Dortmund and Salzburg. His top speed of 36,9 km/h in the 2024/2025 Champions League season does indicate that even in adulthood, his childhood athletic prowess has gone nowhere - if you ever needed for that to be confirmed.
Sources:
Ilkka-Pohjalainen
International age records compiled by Dominique Eisold 
-mini.jpg)
