Erling Haaland is one of the hottest properties in the soccer world. While fans would debate his place as the number one in soccer, he easily comes in the top three. But in a shocking turn of events, the youngster has failed to make it to the top five on the list of most-liked athletes in Norway as he gets overshadowed by an Olympic gold medalist.
There’s no doubting the popularity of Erling Haaland. The 23-year-old continues to add to the list of his admirers. While there’s no doubt about his popularity in the beautiful game, one will be surprised to hear about his vogue in his very own beloved country. This comes after Sponsor Insight surveyed the most-liked athletes in Norway.
While many would expect Haaland to top the list, it’s his country’s hurdle runner, Karsten Warholm, who came on top with 32% of the votes. In the standings, biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bø and rower Birgit Skarstein both share second place with 32%. Surprisingly, Haaland lags in eighth place with 27% of the votes.
The Manchester City star is behind Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard, sitting in sixth place. Indeed, this is quite an eyebrow-raising list. However, Haaland outshines all other Norwegian sports figures regarding Instagram followers, boasting an impressive following of over 36 million.