Why Erling Haaland has 'Braut' on World Cup shirt in major Man City switch up
Published 10:23 17 Jun 2026 GMT+1
With 'Braut Haaland' sporting the back of his Norway jersey, the question is - why?
Erling Haaland made an immediate impression at the 2026 World Cup - but all eyes were on his Norway jersey as onlookers noticed the name on the back of the shirt was different to his Manchester City top.
Enter 'Braut Haaland'. But the question is - why the extra word?
The Leeds-born striker scored twice vs Iraq at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in a 4-1 rout that puts Norway firmly in the dark horses category from what we've seen so far.
Anyway, Braut. It's all to do with the big man's heritage.
His dad is retired Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, and Man City footballer Alf-Inge Haaland, who also played for the national side. For casuals, he's known virally for his coming together with Manchester United's Roy Keane (IYKYK) during Alf-Inge's City days.
In a hugely symbolic move of where he came from, Erling's Norway shirt name is part of him recognising where he came from with his full name being Erling Braut Haaland.
Braut is his mother's maiden name, her being former women's heptathlon athlete Gry Marita Braut.
As The Athletic reports, Haaland also using 'Braut' on his social media handles and is in fact 'reflective of Norwegian custom, where it is more common for both maternal and paternal names to be used'.
Featured Image Credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Topics: World Cup, Manchester City, World News