What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Not a big soccer fan, but Norway’s Erling Haaland has captured my imagination

I have to admit that I am not a great soccer fan.

However, like many of us, I have been caught up in the mania of the FIFA World Cup.

Soccer, or football, does grab my attention at the top level — just like tennis, golf and, to a lesser extent, cricket.

You don’t have to be an aficionado of a particular sport to recognise and respect the talent displayed by the likes of individuals such as Roger Federer, Rory Mcllroy, Shane Warne and Ayrton Senna.

And soccer is no different.

The names of Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham would instantly come into the minds of many when the world game is spoken about.

More often than not, it is people who make a sport what it really is — it’s the athletic feats, the character and the stories these people help sell that brings sport alive.

So, when a new, talented and charismatic character comes onto the scene, that sport can suddenly take on a totally renewed persona.

For me, at this World Cup, that new character has been Erling Haaland.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t even know this 25-year-old English-born Norwegian existed.

Yes, I know you soccer heads were aware of the champion Manchester City striker and his exploits in the English Premier League. But I wasn’t.

It was only when this tall, blonde long-haired giant started coming up on my social media feed that he grabbed my attention.

Pictures of him wearing the Norwegian strip, scoring for Man City and reels and reels of interview grabs.

Many of these posts were quirky and different from the norm, suggesting he was a Viking to his morning breakfast rituals and his girlfriend.

There were posts on young Erling, silly Erling and constant posts of him leading the traditional Viking-inspired rowing performance by his Norwegian teammates.

You know what?

The more I viewed these post about Erling, the more Erling posts popped into my feed.

To be quite honest, it was a bit crazy to say the least.

I’m thinking this has been occurring on many feeds, as more and more people become fascinated with this young man.

Haaland is a beast and a highly skilled player, but my social media interactions have revealed something more — an endearing personality.

While, Erling Haaland may come across as very confident, this doesn’t detract from his light-hearted and fun personality.

There is no doubt he highly respects football, yet doesn’t take himself too seriously.

He’s simply a delightful young fella who has captured all our imaginations.

Peter Fiorenza hosts Sports Shed Saturday (9am to noon) on Radio MAMA and can also be heard on Radio Geraldton