Erling Haaland carries a raccoon from US as he returns to Norway. What’s the story here?

Norway’s FIFA World Cup campaign has ended, and its star footballer, Erling Haaland, has returned home to a hero’s welcome.

While Haaland wasn’t able to get his hands on the FIFA World Cup trophy, fans did spot him returning home with a rather peculiar souvenir to remind him of his time in the US — a raccoon.

But before you wonder why the Norwegian was carrying the furry creature, we have to clarify that the raccoon was a taxidermied version drinking from a liquor bottle.

So, what’s the story behind Haaland’s very unique gift? We have the answer.

Haaland’s got a new furry friend

Twenty-five-year-old Haaland touched down back in his home country on July 13 after Norway lost to England in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, July 11.

More from Explainers

A legend in the making? How Erling Haaland is shaping his own destiny

But as the Norway striker disembarked from the plane in Oslo, many of his fans noticed him carrying a fresh off-the-runway Dolce and Gabbana tote bag as well as a taxidermied raccoon holding a bottle of whiskey.

While many thought the images were AI-generated, Haaland himself joked about the souvenir, posting an image of him with it, captioning it as: “It followed me home.”

He also asked his millions of followers to help him name it. The choices are: Cowboy, Ranger, TEX, and R.O.W — short for Raccoon On Wheels.

The post received quite a few reactions from netizens. One user wrote, “just another normal day in a wizard’s life.”

The story of the taxidermied raccoon

This unique and peculiar souvenir was purchased by Haaland during a visit to Wild Bill’s Western Store, which has been in Dallas for almost 50 years. Nicknamed by some shoppers the “Whiskey Raccoon,” the handcrafted taxidermy piece reportedly costs around $750 (Rs 72,150).

During the visit to the store, 25-year-old Haaland tried on cowboy hats, boots and western shirts before sharing photos captioned simply, “Howdy!”

Speaking of the experience, Wild Bill’s owner Julie Newport explained that they were contacted before the round of 16, informing them someone from the Norway team would be visiting their store.

“So the day of, someone came in and said: ‘Yep, we think it’s happening, we’ll give you a call; heads up’. We were excited because they said they might want to learn how to line dance, and they’re going to want hats. My colleague Emma worked with our team that was here, and they learned a line dance (in preparation),” said Newbury to The New York Times.

The taxidermied racoon cost Haaland $750. Reuters

Minutes after that call, Haaland snuck in, and he spent the next hour-and-a-half perusing through the items in the store. The 25-year-old then landed upon the taxidermied raccoon and the rest, as they say, is history.

Shortly after Haaland was seen with the raccoon, the store owners noted that it had sold out. Newbury told the New York Times that Haaland purchased the raccoon and other items, rather than being gifted them. “We’ve had a couple of these taxidermy raccoons in the store for the last few years, and he obviously gravitated to that and a couple of the squirrels. (Since he posted on social media), we ordered another raccoon — we put it out on the floor today but by the time we put it on the floor, someone already bought it online,” she added.

Haaland’s purchase of the racoon from the Dallas store has capitalised on this moment, posting a picture of him on its website’s homepage wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a shirt that reads: “Y’all can kiss my Dallas.”

The store has also started international shipping since Haaland’s visit, after it was flooded with comments from Norwegians and other foreigners interested in its products.

The Dallas store has jumped on the Haaland bandwagon and trying to use the football star's visit to promote their goods. Image Courtesy: Wild Bill’s Western Store

Haaland becomes World Cup’s off-field star

Haaland has scored on and off the field during the FIFA World Cup 2026. He scored seven goals in five matches, making him the top scorer for his team.

However, it’s his antics off the field that have made him popular among the US crowds. He’s gained more than 22 million Instagram followers amid the tournament for his on and off-field persona.

Erling Haaland out and about in New York City. Throughout Norway's FIFA World Cup campaign, Haaland has posted images of himself taking in US culture. Image Courtesy: Erling Haaland/Instagram

One day after their loss to England, Haaland said goodbye to the United States in a heartfelt post on X. “It’s been quite a row, thank you for making it so special,” he said, along with several different tweets of photos from Norway’s match.

In another post, Haaland wrote, “Goodbye 🇺🇸 [America] It’s been emotional,” alongside a selfie, in which he sported red tinted sunglasses, a backward baseball cap and a black zip-up jacket.

Now, after returning home with a designer bag on one shoulder and a taxidermy raccoon under the other arm, Haaland has proven once again why he’s one of football’s most favourite personalities.

With inputs from agencies