[WATCH] Erling Haaland in action against Indian football team (U17) - Major throwback

Erling Haaland has now won the treble with Manchester City.

Erling Haaland, now a Premier League and UCL champion with Manchester City, once found himself up against India U17 football team, while he was coming up with the Norway U16 age bracket.

A recently resurfaced video shared by Chennaiyin FC has gone viral on social media, showing India U17 team in action against Haaland during a friendly on June 29, 2016.

The clip has grabbed plenty of attention, sparking conversations about how young Indian talents have the potential to compete with some of the best in world football.

Despite coming from two vastly different footballing ecosystems, both teams and Haaland have continued to rise in their respective ecareers.

When did India play against Erling Haaland?

As part of the build-up to the U17 FIFA World Cup, which was slated to take place in India a year later, India assembled a group of young prodigious talents for a European exposure tour back in 2016.

Players like Suresh Wangjam, Mohammad Nawaz, Kiyam Amarjit Singh, and Sanjeev Stalin were part of the young Indian squad. They played a friendly game against Norway U16, which included a young and agile Erling Haaland. In those days, Haaland played for Norwegian outfit Bryne.

Many recalled that Nawaz’s heroics between the sticks saw the scores levelled until the first half. Nawaz had some jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring efforts to deny Haaland from scoring twice in the first half.

Things turned worse for the young Indian boys after Sanjeev Stalin was sent off, reducing them to ten men. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the second half, which was followed by another goal to help Norway clinch a comfortable 2-0 win over India U16.

Two careers, two directions

Following their encounter in the 2016 friendly, Mohammad Nawaz and Erling Haaland set off on vastly different journeys—each carving their own path in the world of football.

Mohammad Nawaz continued to climb the ladder in Indian football, representing the India U17 side before signing his first professional contract with Sergio Lobera’s FC Goa. At Goa, he quickly established himself as one of the league’s most dependable shot-stoppers, helping the team lift the 2019 Super Cup.

He later made the move to Mumbai City FC and is currently part of the Chennaiyin FC squad in the Indian Super League.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland’s rise was meteoric. After developing at Bryne and impressing with Molde in Norway, he took Europe by storm with standout performances at RB Salzburg. His exploits caught the attention of Borussia Dortmund, where he became one of Europe’s most feared strikers.

Manchester City eventually activated his $60 million release clause, a decision that paid off spectacularly. Under Pep Guardiola, Haaland has won the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup, cementing his place among the game’s elite.

Full squads for the match

Norge U16 Boys (jersey numbers):

Anas Farah Ali (6), Anders Myking Waagan (16), Andreas Uran (3), Edvin Hassel Grevskott (15), Elias Martin Flø (20), Emil Kalsaas (13), Erik Botheim (9), Erik Tobias Tangen Sandberg (5), Erling Braut Haaland (10), Fabian Filip Rimestad (2), Halldor Østervold Stenevik (11), Hermann Ræstad (12), Håkon Evjen (14), Jesper Norman Daland (4), Johan Hove (8), Jørgen Strand Larsen (17), Kristian Bjåmer (19), Kristoffer-August Sundquist Klaesson (1), Mikael Birk Giæver Ugland (7), Tobias Christensen (18)

India U17 World Cup Squad (jersey numbers):

Amarjit Singh Kiyam (8), Aniket Anil Jadhav (11), Boris Singh Thangjam (2), Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (36) Hendry Antonay (5), Jitendra Singh (3), Khumanthem Ninthoinganba Meetei (7), Komal Thatal (10) Lalengmawia (33), Mohamad Rakip (24), Mohammad Nawaz (1), Mohammed Sarif Khan (12), Nongthombam Joysana Singh (13), Prabhsukhan Singh Gill (47), Reamsochung Chongompipa Aimol (37), Sanjev Stalin (17), Suresh Singh Wangjam (6), Tamal Naskar (48)

Full match video (Norway U16 2-0 India U17)

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