Haaland’s hometown hails ‘little boy who grew into a huge Viking’

A mural of Haaland on a wall in the centre of Bryne, a small farming town near Stavanger where the Manchester City striker grew up. Photograph: Marie von Krogh/The Guardian

Surrounded by red hats, No 9 shirts and Erling Haaland action toys at her fabric shop in the small Norwegian town of Bryne, Olinda Haaland – no relation but proud to share the now world-famous name – said everybody in the striker’s home town was a football fan these days.

“It’s been pure joy,” she said of her namesake’s rise to the top of world football. “We all love him so much and he’s doing so much for Bryne.”