Norway went home without a World Cup. Erling Haaland went home with a $750 taxidermy raccoon clutching a bottle of booze.
The Manchester United striker was photographed stepping off the team's flight back to Oslo on July 13, cradling the creature under his arm like a man completely at peace with how his tournament ended. Norway had just been knocked out by England, losing 2-1 in what was a genuinely deflating exit — but Haaland, characteristically, had already moved on to more important matters.
Where the raccoon came from
The backstory traces back to Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas, where Haaland and several Norway teammates stopped after their Round of 32 win over Ivory Coast. He bought cowboy hats, apparel, and apparently fell hard for a piece known as the "Whiskey Raccoon." He documented the whole thing on YouTube.
"It followed me home," he posted on X. He then put a naming poll on Instagram — the options being Cowboy, Ranger, TEX, and R.O.W. (Raccoon On Wheels). Which is a sentence that could only exist in 2025 and could only involve Erling Haaland.
The visit, predictably, went viral — largely because Haaland was photographed wearing the store's "Y'all can kiss my Dallas" shirt, which Wild Bill's owner Julie Newport confirmed was now featured on their own website. She told USA TODAY that July 13 was a "busy" day at the store. That's one way to put it.
The Whiskey Raccoon is listed at $750 and was sold out by the time the story broke. The supplier's taxidermist has retired, so supply is genuinely limited. Newport said inventory was on the way, but don't count on it lasting long when the most famous footballer in Scandinavia is your unofficial brand ambassador.
The off-field story of Norway's World Cup
On the pitch, Norway's tournament was frustrating. A second-round exit after promising early moments, with the eventual England loss exposing the limits of a side that still relies heavily on Haaland to manufacture chances. Without him firing consistently, they were always vulnerable — and that's a concern that won't disappear before qualifying campaigns resume.
Off it, though, Haaland became the tournament's most watchable personality. He leaned into American culture with zero self-consciousness, and the Americans leaned back. "I think they are kind of hilarious," he said of U.S. fans. "They are funny. So I like the way they are."
Hard to argue with that. The raccoon has not yet commented.
