9:30 at night. The stadium almost empty, the lights starting to go out, and there he still was. Erling Haaland, freshly eliminated from the World Cup with Norway, in no hurry to leave.
While most footballers would have preferred to disappear straight into the locker room after a farewell like that, the Norwegian striker stayed. He posed for photos with his family, approached the fans who were still waiting by the pitch, and did not stop smiling even once. There were no cameras forcing him, nor a club pressuring his image. Just a 24-year-old player who understood that those supporters had also waited hours for him.
That tournament made him one of the most beloved figures of the moment. And it was not just because of his goals.