Erling Haaland turned a quick stop in Dallas into one of the tournament’s loudest off-field moments this week, walking into Wild Bill's Western Store, trying on hats and boots, and leaving with cowboy gear that sold out within days. The Norway forward also posted the visit on Snapchat and later shared a photo of himself on the store’s steps in a Stetson, cowboy boots and the “Y'All Can Kiss My Dallas” T-shirt.
The timing matters because Haaland is supposed to be chasing results for Norway, but he is drawing nearly as much attention for the jokes and viral clips that follow him around. Fans and media picked up the Snapchat video fast, while clips from the store spread across social platforms and outlets, turning a shopping trip into part of the World Cup conversation.
Julie Newport said Haaland set the tone by telling the Norway team, “Come on, guys, we’re gonna go shopping.” Cody Newport said the group stayed for shots, line dancing and the staircase photo, adding that they had “absolutely the best time doing that” and that it felt like dress-up. He also said he was “very proud as a store owner, but also as a Texan.”
The visit fits a pattern that has made Haaland hard to ignore during the tournament. Haaland and the Norway team have already joined fans on the pitch for a post-match row after their qualifier at Dallas Stadium, while Norway’s traveling supporters have been coordinating synchronized rows across the U.S. Clips of Haaland charging across the pitch have been turned into memes, some of them so familiar that FIFA has removed versions for copyright infringement. That off-field profile has grown alongside the on-field one; he was clocked at 22.5 miles per hour in the Premier League this last season.
He still has football to play. On Tuesday, Haaland scored the goal that secured Norway’s knockout win over Ivory Coast, and the next step is whether he can keep Norway moving in the World Cup knockout stages without the side show swallowing the main act. For now, the Dallas stop has already done its work: it gave Haaland another viral image, and it left Wild Bill's Western Store with a sellout that turned a joke into business.
