BRYNE

THE SMALL SPECK IN NORWAY'S MAP ERLING HAALAND CALLS HOME

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

NORWAY emerged as an ideal tourist destination due to its proximity to Aurora Borealis, the shimmering, danc ing spectacle of colours aka Northern Lights. With its long coastline, Insta-worthy fjords and all kinds of hikes -the one to Pulpit Rock in the country's southwest calls hikers from all around the world travellers keep flocking to this part of the world on a regular basis. On average, there are over six million international visitors per year, remarkable because Norway is home to 5.5 million residents. Over the last few years, though, a fair few backpackers have added a new destination.

Bryne.

A coastal town in Rogaland county south of Stavanger, it is your stereotypical small town in western Europe. The houses are cute, the air is clean, everybody knows everybody (population is just north of 12000), commercial establishments are small and rolling meadows dominate the periphery. So why did Bryne, the smallest of dots on the map, go from being a nondescript town to welcoming visitors from all seven continents? Erling Braut Haaland.

One of Norway's most famous athletes, Haaland may have been born in Leeds in the UK but the family moved back when he was still a baby. With baby Haaland naturally showing an inclination towards the game father, Alf-Inge, was an international footballer - he quickly came up the ranks at Bryne, the local club named after the town. Kjell Madland, the founder of the Norway Chess, was a former CEO of the club.

Even if he took time to develop his physical attributes, something about his mental capacities convinced the club's youth coaches that he was going to be a keeper.

Having joined the youth system in 2006, he progressed through the ranks thanks to an uncommon appetite to keep getting better. Even today, coaches at the club talk about his A+ attitude in training sessions.