Erling Haaland may have seen Norway’s dream World Cup run come to an end with a 2-1 extra-time loss to England in the quarterfinals, but he is making headlines away from soccer for all the right reasons.

The Manchester City striker has unexpectedly become Norway’s No. 1 artist on Spotify after an old rap song he recorded as a teenager surged to the top of the country’s streaming charts. The track, “Kygo Jo,” was originally released in 2016, when Haaland was just 15 years old. He recorded it with fellow Norway youth internationals Erik Botheim and Erik Tobias Sandberg under the group name Flow Kingz. The song was originally written as a tribute to Norwegian DJ Kygo, whose name it references. A decade later, Kygo has come full circle by remixing the track during Norway’s World Cup run, helping send it to the top of the charts.

Erling Haaland’s teenage rap song goes viral

What began as a fun project between teenage teammates has become one of Norway’s biggest viral hits, years later.

The original music video, uploaded to YouTube in 2016, features a young Haaland and his friends performing the song during a Norway Under-17 training camp. The track remained a cult favorite for years before Norway’s remarkable World Cup run thrust it back into the spotlight.

Norwegian superstar DJ Kygo added even more fuel to the craze. Before Norway’s Round of 16 clash with Brazil, he promised to release an official remix if Haaland scored. The striker responded by scoring twice in a famous 2-1 victory, and Kygo kept his word, releasing “Kygo Jo (Kygo Remix).”

The remix quickly climbed to No. 1 on Spotify in Norway, giving Haaland an unexpected chart-topping hit while he was busy leading his country to its best-ever World Cup finish.

A bittersweet ending for Haaland at World Cup 2026

Haaland’s remarkable World Cup ended on Saturday as Norway was eliminated by England, who secured a 2-1 victory after extra time to reach the semifinals.

Although Norway’s historic run is over, Haaland leaves the tournament with seven goals, a place in the country’s soccer history and, unexpectedly, the biggest song in Norway.

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