Haaland returns from World Cup with taxidermy raccoon holding gin bottle, sparking buying frenzy

Haaland's travel companion raised eyebrows when the striker was spotted disembarking a plane in Oslo on Monday. Jan Langhaug / NTB / AFP via Getty Images

By Adam Crafton and Sam Joseph

July 13, 2026 | Updated July 14, 2026 — 12:30 pm EDT

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Norway star Erling Haaland returned home from the World Cup in North America with an unusual souvenir.

As he stepped off the team plane in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, the Manchester City striker was photographed carrying a pair of bags over his right shoulder while holding a taxidermy raccoon in his left hand. The Norway team was arriving back home after being eliminated from the World Cup at the quarter-final stage by England on Saturday.

Haaland, 25, had an excellent debut at the World Cup, scoring seven goals in five matches. He has seen a surge in popularity in the U.S. during the World Cup, gaining more than 22 million Instagram followers as a result of his on-pitch performances and off-field personality.

The raccoon and its origin

The City striker bought the raccoon, which is holding an empty bottle of Greenall’s wild berry gin, during a visit to Wild Bill’s Western Store, which has been in Dallas for almost 50 years. During the same visit, he also donned a pair of snakeskin cowboy boots and a cowboy hat branded with his initials and No. 9 shirt number.

The raccoon is currently sold out on Wild Bill’s website, though it has previously been listed for sale at $750 (£562; €659).

Store owner confirms purchase

Wild Bill’s owner Julie Newport, who bought the store from founder Bill Dewbre with her business partner four years ago, said Haaland had purchased the raccoon and other items, rather than being gifted them.

“It was from us,” Newport told The Athletic. “We’ve had a couple of these taxidermy raccoons in the store for the last few years, and he obviously gravitated to that and a couple of the squirrels. (Since he posted on social media), we ordered another raccoon — we put it out on the floor today but by the time we put it on the floor, someone already bought it online.

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“The taxidermy guy that we buy from has retired. I think I might have one or two more coming. It was $750.”

Haaland on Dallas

Haaland described Dallas as “amazing” and said that he would be returning to the city.

“(It’s) unbelievable, so nice,” he said in a vlog of his visit on his YouTube channel, posted on July 3, three days after Norway had beaten Ivory Coast 2-1 in its round-of-16 game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. “I’m coming back here.

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“The people are so nice here, so positive. I don’t know what it is, they’re just enjoying life.”

International demand surges

Newport confirmed that a banner on Wild Bill’s site which reads, “Now shipping internationally,” is new. The store previously had never done business outside the U.S.

“We are somewhere around 2,000 online orders right now, about 30 per cent of that is international but every day when we wake up, we have more orders,” she said. “For international, we just didn’t have that ability turned on before (Haaland visited).

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“We sell boots and hats mostly online. People are looking for a specific style…”

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