By Tommy Lund
June 2 (Reuters) - Erling Haaland will carry the weight of Norway's 28 years of longing when he leads the nation into the World Cup, marking the striker's debut on the grandest international stage.
Expectations will be sky-high for a player who has spent his career breaking scoring records.
The Scandinavian side secured their first World Cup berth since 1998 after a ruthless qualification campaign in which Haaland scored 16 goals in eight matches.
No player in European qualifying came close,
with England's Harry Kane, Austria's Marko Arnautovic and the Netherlands' Memphis Depay next best on eight goals each.
The 25-year-old forward's arrival at the tournament in North America ends years of frustration for a Norway side often described as a "golden generation" but one that had repeatedly fallen short in qualifying for major finals.
Norway have been drawn in Group I alongside 2022 finalists France, Senegal and Iraq. France are favourites to top the section but, with Haaland leading the line, Norway enter the tournament as more than sentimental returnees.
They arrive with one of the game's most ruthless goalscorers and a qualification campaign that proved he can bend matches to his will.
Manchester City striker Haaland has never hidden the scale of his ambition with Norway.
"Ever since I made my international debut in 2019, my big goal has been to get Norway to a World Cup and Euros," he told British media last month.
"There is a lot of pressure on me but I like the pressure, I would put a lot of pressure on Erling Haaland if I wasn't Erling Haaland myself.
"We now have an amazing generation and I want to build on this," he added. "I want to develop the whole federation and everything around it to become a big football nation. That is my goal."
Manager Stale Solbakken knows Norway's task will be to maximise Haaland's threat.
"The other players know that Erling is our biggest match-winner and that we have to make sure we put him in the right areas so he can score goals and be dangerous," he said.
For a player who has spent his career chasing records, the World Cup offers Haaland something different, a global stage on which to shine.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
