Haaland calls out Rooney over River Mersey rowing bet after Norway reach World Cup quarter-finals

Erling Haaland has publicly called out Wayne Rooney over his River Mersey rowing bet, after Norway’s two-goal hero made sure the BBC pundit would not quietly forget his pre-match promise ahead of England’s World Cup quarter-final on Saturday in Miami.

Rooney had declared on air that he would row down the Mersey should Norway advance past Brazil in the round of 16. They did exactly that, with Haaland scoring twice to send the Scandinavian side into the last eight for the first time in the nation’s history.

Speaking ahead of the quarter-final, Haaland was in no mood to let the moment pass. “I’m looking forward to seeing Wayne, Wayney boy,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing Wayne Rooney rowing down in Liverpool. That’s all I want to see now. Wayne Rooney, I expect you to go out on a rowing trip.”

Rooney, for his part, has accepted the forfeit — after initially appearing to have forgotten he made it. When host Kelly Cates reminded him of the pledge, he replied: “Was that me?” before quickly adding: “I’m a man of my word. Micah [Richards] has agreed to do it with me. We’re a team.”

He did, however, float a geographical amendment. “Because we’ve got a lot on, it might have to be the Hudson River when we’re in New York,” Rooney said. Fellow pundit Joe Hart also volunteered himself: “I’ll do the Hudson with you.”

BBC Sport leaned into the moment, mocking up a graphic of the former England captain in a rowing boat on the Mersey with the Liverpool skyline behind him and the caption: “Over to you.”

Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also weighed in with an alternative proposal. “How about this instead — we can sort out a rowing boat, or in a couple of months’ time we’ll launch our brand new £26m Mersey Ferry. Fancy swapping oars for the captain’s chair?” he said.

Rooney’s original bet was inspired by Norway’s viral post-match rowing celebration, in which a player beats a drum while teammates and fans mime rowing in unison — a routine that has become one of the tournament’s defining images.

England fans will be hoping Haaland and company cannot reprise it after Saturday’s match. The winner will advance to a semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta, where either Switzerland or Argentina will be waiting.