Haaland's girlfriend made the first move — and now she's cheering him toward England

Erling Haaland heads into Norway’s World Cup quarter-final against England in Miami on Saturday with seven goals to his name and a long-term partner cheering him on — one who, by his own admission, did all the running.

Haaland has been in a relationship with Isabel Haugseng Johansen for several years. The pair grew up in the same Norwegian town of Bryne — where Haaland’s father Alf-Inge settled after a playing career that included spells at Manchester City and Leeds United — and both played for the same junior club. It was not until Haaland had moved to Borussia Dortmund, however, that they actually connected.

“She sent me a message. She played for the same club I played for, Bryne, so she checked me out. I didn’t check her out,” Haaland told NRK with a grin. “I was single for quite a while. From my experience, you find your girlfriend when you least expect it. If you’re always looking for a girlfriend, you’ll never find one.”

The couple have a son, born in December 2024. Haugseng Johansen, who no longer appears to play competitively, has built a following of 72,000 on Instagram and has posted regularly from the World Cup, including images celebrating alongside Haaland after his goals.

When asked to describe a typical romantic evening, Haaland offered an unexpectedly domestic picture. “It’s going to be quite embarrassing for her that I say this, but she likes to game too. So we game Minecraft together,” he said. “We just sit and game and make houses together and everything like that. Or we go home to Bryne and order kebabs.”

On the pitch, Haaland has been the tournament’s standout striker. His seven goals place him one behind Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race, and he scored twice in Norway’s last-16 victory over Brazil. Saturday’s tie against England — the country where he was born — adds a personal dimension to an already high-stakes knockout match.

England’s defence could include two of Haaland’s current Manchester City teammates in Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly, alongside John Stones, who recently departed the Etihad after his contract expired.