Erling Haaland, I'm quite confident in claiming, is the most famous man in the world right now. Following a standout World Cup performance where he broke record after record, including scoring seven goals from just 18 shots at the 2026 World Cup, an impressive 39% conversion rate, he's certainly got people talking. And it's not just his football skills gaining attention.
Standing at 6ft 5in tall and nicknamed The Viking, it's his diet, lifestyle and health habits that are leading many a conversation, their influence on his performance now playing out on a global stage. Read: jumping higher than most players' heads, tackles that seem to send opponents flying, and a running speed of 36.2km/h.
Luckily, he's very open about how he hones his body and his mind. "I think to do a lot of things is not good, but to do small things every single day for a longer period really pays off," he said in one interview about his health habits. And many small, and not-so-small, things he does.
First, he treats sleep like a non-negotiable. "I think sleep is the most important thing in the world," he said on Logan Paul's podcast. "To sleep good, it's just the simple kind of things. Blue blocking glasses, shutting out all of the signals in the bedroom and everything. I think it's really important." Haaland averages at least nine hours a night, using mouth tape to help himself breathe only through his nose.
Then, when he wakes up? He gets daylight in his eyes. "It is good for circadian rhythm," he explained in one documentary. "A lot of things are logical. You should have an early start with daylight and fresh air. Ideally, go out for a small walk. I think it's a really beneficial thing to do," he adds. It's a simple tip we've heard many times before from a number of our Grounded Guest Editors, and quite possibly the easiest step to implement.
And while the debate around whether coffee is actually good for us continues to surge, Haaland seems very much on the pro team. "Nutrition is a simple. Coffee is a superfood in my eyes. It depends on the quality and when you drink it. You need a little bit of this in, milk, a superfood as well." He's known to be a big fan of raw milk, unpasteurised, unhomogenised milk that comes straight from animals such as cows, goats or sheep, and he repeatedly talks about the importance of fresh food. "I think eating quality food that is as local as possible is the most important."
You may have even seen the viral clips of him shopping at a small farm near Manchester, his home while he plays for Manchester City. "A lot of things influence health. For example, people talk about meat not being healthy. Which meat? The meat you get at McDonalds or the local cow eating grass over there?" he asks. "Fatty beef steaks, rib-eye, tomahawk, one of my favourites is short rib, it's amazing," he says, taking us through what's in the bag. All key sources of vitamin A and vitamin K2, fat-soluble nutrients that support everything from vision and immunity to bone and heart health. "It's good quality and they take good care of the animals which is really important." Raw honey also went into the basket alongside the raw milk. "You need local honey, local raw honey. Perfect."
Also on the Haaland shopping list are asparagus, fish, rice, eggs, sourdough bread and organ meats such as heart and liver, putting him firmly in the ancestral diet category, which focuses on the foods our ancestors would have eaten over the pre-packed, processed options so common today. This same thinking clearly stretches to the entire Norwegian football team, who shipped in much of their own produce to America for the tournament. According to The Independent, this included 300 kilograms of Norwegian salmon and trout, 100 kilograms of halibut, 80 kilograms of Norwegian brown cheese and 100 kilograms of Jarlsberg cheese. For Haaland, it all amounts to as much as 6,000 calories a day.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly, alcohol rarely makes an appearance in the Haaland diet. In fact, after being called a loser for drinking water at a bar, he's heard to say in one recent viral video: "they complain when I order this, but when I score the goals then they zip it up."
Though nutrition aside, Haaland also understands that ample training must be met with a hefty amount of recovery. "Sauna and ice bath I try to do almost everyday, at least four to five times a week," he says, and he's also known to be a big fan of cryotherapy. "I don't think you should do sauna too much before games, definitely after," he adds. With the benefits of regular sauna use including improved cardiovascular health, enhanced workout recovery and stress reduction, he's far from the only one raving about the significant rewards of a good sweat.
You might have even spied his now signature 'zen' pose in celebration of scoring a goal. As you might expect, it's linked to meditation. “I really enjoy meditation,” he said to the Premier League. “It makes me feel calm and gives me tranquillity. This is why I sometimes celebrate like that when I score.”
So yes, while raw talent is of course on Haaland's side (his father was also a successful footballer), the impact of his dedication to nutrition, training and recovery clearly can't be ignored. And the world is sure to keep watching, and learning, from his habits, even if they can't quite be replicated from the life of an elite athlete to an everyday routine. 6,000 calories, after all, wouldn't be a wise idea for most of us.
