Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has scored goals on the pitch in stadiums around the world. Now he’s leaving his mark on something a little more permanent: Peruvian birth certificates.
As Haaland helped Norway reach its deepest-ever run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, parents across Peru were busy celebrating in a distinctly local fashion.
According to Peru’s National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC), 468 newborns were registered with his surname “Haaland,” while another 91 babies received the full name “Erling Haaland” during the tournament.
The surge accelerated as Norway advanced to the quarterfinals.
“Different football stars serve inspiration for Peruvians to register their children with these names,” a RENIEC spokesperson, Ivan Torres, told Panamericana Television. (TODAY.com contacted RENIEC for additional comment but had not heard back by the time of publication.)
The phenomenon might seem surprising in a country with no obvious connection to the 25-year-old standout. Peru did not qualify for this year’s World Cup, and Haaland has never played professionally there. Yet his name has become the latest addition to a uniquely Peruvian tradition of treating soccer’s biggest stars as unlikely godparents to a new generation.
More than 33,800 Peruvians are named after Brazilian soccer star Neymar, while more than 3,400 carry the name of Argentinian legend Messi, including hundreds whose legal first and middle names are “Lionel Messi.” Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has inspired more than 1,100 namesakes, while Spain’s Lamine Yamal has already lent his surname to more than 1,200 Peruvians, according to figures released by RENIEC.
In interviews and videos, the Norwegian striker pronounces his name “AIR-ling HAW-lahn,” rather than the “ER-ling HAW-land” pronunciation commonly heard in English language broadcasts.
“Erling” is an Old Norse name meaning “descendant of a nobleman,” a fitting name for a player who has become soccer royalty.
Unlike countries that restrict baby names, Peru gives parents broad discretion in naming their children, and RENIEC officials say names are generally permitted as long as they are not offensive.
Erling Haaland has become an unlikely World Cup sensation in China, where fans affectionately call him “Baby Ha.” Here’s how the Norwegian striker won over millions of followers and became one of the tournament’s biggest global stars.
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