NORWAY

It has been a quarter of a century since Norway last appeared at a major international tournament, but their fleet of top-class forwards are leading them out of the footballing wilderness

- Josh Butler

In February, Norway and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland got involved in promoting a new line of Oasis merchandise ahead of the band's long-awaited return. As the summer began, and nineties nostalgia gripped the UK, it was not just Mancunians in bucket hats that were dreaming of recreating the events of 30 years ago. In June, Haaland was on the scoresheet as Norway thumped Italy 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier to give them a golden opportunity of reaching the global finals for the first time since 1998.

The 1990s was a special decade for Norwegian football. Coached by Egil Olsen and subsequently his tactical disciple Nils Johan Semb, the national team rose to an all-time high of second in the FIFA world rankings in 1995, with the on-field peak coming at the 1998 World Cup when they beat Brazil 2-1. Indeed, Norway are one of the few nations to have never lost to the Selecao in their history.

As a footballing nation, Norway became famed for their athleticism and directness. Their players were big, strong and disciplined. "A være best uten ball" ("to be the best without the ball") was Olsen's philosophy. But those halcyon days are but a distant memory now. The Premier League stalwarts that formed the formidable back-line - Ronny Johnsen, Henning Berg, Stig Inge Bjornebye and Gunnar Halle - are long retired.

In the two decades following their Euro 2000 group-stage exit, the Norwegian FA (NFF) have tried just about everything to return the country to an international tournament. They've been through six managers to varying degrees of success, and attempted to adopt several philosophies of the zeitgeist from tiki-taka to high pressing.

In the last ten years though, the NFF has sought to make use of the most powerful tool at its disposal: money. Norway is a tremendously wealthy country and, when it comes to sport, the country has learned how to spend effectively.