Erling Braut Haaland didn’t make a good turn with the players of Gibraltar. The Norwegian striker, who was 0-3 too strong for the football dwarf with Norway at the end of March, refused to hand over his shirt to defender Roy Chipolina after the game. Out of solidarity, the entire selection of Gibraltar decided a week and a half ago during the return in Oslo not to exchange a shirt with the Borussia Dortmund star. Reece Styche gives the attacker talking to the Sun a big kick and accuses him of arrogance.
“Haaland didn’t score, was substituted after an hour and probably wasn’t in the mood,” Styche recalled at the time in March. At the moment when Haaland was taken to the side during the game in question, Norway was already leading 0-3. Haaland was then taken off by national coach Stale Solbakken. “After they both gave an interview, Roy asked, ‘My little boy is a big fan of yours, would you like to swap your shirt with me?’ Haaland looked at him, smiled and walked away.”
Styche speculates that the media hype surrounding Haaland ‘went to his head’. “He can buy many things, but class cannot be bought.” After the remarkable action by Haaland, all Gibraltar players decided to forgo the shirt swap during the return in the World Cup qualifier at the beginning of September. Haaland, however, hit back sportingly. The attacker was 5-1 too strong with Norway, partly due to a hat trick by the attack leader. Stych, who took the honorary goal in that game, says he never felt the need to ask for Haaland’s shirt.
“I don’t need Haaland’s shirt as a reminder. My goal is in the history books and I will keep those memories in my head forever,” he said. Stych does not dare to predict where Haaland’s shirt ended up. “Maybe he kept it as a memento of his hat-trick or gave it to a Norwegian fan because it was their first home game with supporters since the coronavirus. I don’t know.”
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