LO DE HAALAND Y EL PERÚ, ES INCREIBLE

HAALAND AND PERU'S STORY IS INCREDIBLE There are phenomena that can only be understood by experiencing them. And what's happening between Peru and Erling Haaland is, quite simply, incredible. In a World Cup where the Peruvian national team isn't participating, Peruvians found a new idol to embrace, and they did it their way: with creativity, humor, and a commercial speed that astounds the world. Gamarra has already printed him The setting is Gamarra, the commercial heart of Lima and the country's largest textile hub. There, as soon as Haaland started to shine in the 2026 World Cup, the garment makers did what they do best: print him on their shirts. The Peruvian designs that are captivating But what's truly amazing is the creativity of the designs. Because in Gamarra, they didn't just copy a photo: they made the Viking a national hero. There are Haaland shirts in Cusco. There are T-shirts with Haaland eating delicious rotisserie chicken. There are designs with Viking lettering, with his blond mane as an emblem, with the classic drum of his celebrations, "like the Viking blood he represents," explained a vendor. There are sizes for everyone, various colors, and expressions of the "android" to suit every taste. Young people are the ones who order them the most. "You become a fan at the World Cup." Perhaps the phrase that best sums up the Peruvian spirit was said by one of the vendors at the emporium, with disarming honesty: "You become a fan here at the World Cup." "One day you're a Ronaldo fan, the next day you're a Haaland fan." And another shopkeeper, now a fanatic, didn't hesitate: "Let's hope Norway wins, so I'm rooting for Norway." When reminded that she had previously said she was supporting Brazil, she replied with a laugh that now, "for real," she's a fan. That's the Peruvian way: without a team on the field, but with their hearts always ready to vibrate. The World Cup fever and celebration are lived to the fullest, even though the national team is watching from the sidelines. And who is this Viking who has conquered Gamarra? The phenomenon makes perfect sense. Erling Haaland, 25, is playing in his first World Cup and is already one of the tournament's biggest stars. He has seven goals, including the brace that eliminated none other than Brazil in the round of 16, returning Norway to the elite after almost three decades of absence. The secret of why he's so popular But there's something beyond the goals that explains why the world—and Peru— He has embraced it with such affection. Haaland has something that doesn't always accompany great goalscorers: he's well-liked even by those who aren't on his team. And part of his appeal stems from a contradiction: on the field he's intimidating, off it he's disconcerting. He's a star who doesn't seem to act like one. He has the physique, the statistics, and the media impact of a superstar, but his way of expressing himself is dry, simple, and unadorned. He doesn't need grand speeches: he responds with short phrases, odd gestures, and awkward smiles that give him a naturalness impossible to manufacture. His agent, the Brazilian Rafaela Pimenta, has described him as someone "hilarious" and, at the same time, very serious about his work. The brilliant thing is that he's not funny because he tells jokes, but because he often seems unaware that he's being funny. He can score 50 goals and still seem like a huge guy who just said something strange without realizing it. He's neither the perfect hero nor the arrogant villain. And instead of hiding his quirks, he's made them part of his identity. Like It has been written about him: Haaland doesn't seem to want to please everyone, and perhaps that's why he ends up being liked even more. He's ferocious on the pitch—pressing, tackling, shooting, searching for the goal with an almost animalistic obsession—but that aggression doesn't translate into an unlikeable image. He never needs to humiliate his opponent to enhance his own stature. And the detail that truly humanizes him: when asked what he wants to do after retiring, he replied that he wants to be a farmer and manage his own livestock farm. Working the land, driving tractors, and caring for farm animals. No luxuries or eccentricities. Perhaps that's why he connected so well with a country like Peru, which values ​​simplicity, hard work, and people who don't think they're better than anyone else. The "Viking row": the celebration that also reached Gamarra And there's a detail that perfectly closes the circle of this story. The celebration popularized by Norwegian players and fans during the World Cup is called the "Viking oar." After the victory against Brazil, thousands of Norwegians took to the streets of Oslo to celebrate, and Haaland became the face of a collective celebration that went far beyond football.