Klinsmann: Norway's World Cup Strength Goes Beyond Haaland and Odegaard
Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- German football legend Jurgen Klinsmann praised Norway's 2026 World Cup quarterfinal run, stating their strength goes beyond stars Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.
- Klinsmann highlighted Norway's squad depth and strong developmental drive, comparing their potential to Croatia's rise in the 1990s.
- Norway's impressive performance, including a 2-1 victory over Brazil, has set them up for a quarterfinal clash against England.
Jurgen Klinsmann, the German football icon, believes Norway's surprising run to the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals is built on more than just the individual brilliance of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. He points to the team's remarkable squad depth and a national commitment to continuous improvement as key factors.
"They have incredible squad depth and come from a country with a strong drive to keep developing," Klinsmann stated, as reported by FIFA's official website. This assessment comes after Norway, nicknamed 'The Lions,' defeated Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16, with Haaland scoring both goals. This victory shattered their previous best World Cup performance, which was reaching the Round of 16 in 1938 and 1998.
They have incredible squad depth and come from a country with a strong drive to keep developing.
Klinsmann, a former striker and coach for the German national team, sees parallels between Norway's current trajectory and Croatia's emergence as a global football power in the 1990s. "Norway is now developing into a team with a character that reminds me a bit of Croatia in the 1990s," he remarked. "They have such great spirit, talent, and quality that in the next 10 to 15 years, they have the potential to become a world football power like Croatia is today."
Norway's journey in the 2026 tournament has been a revelation. Haaland's two goals against Brazil propelled him into the top scorer contention with seven goals, just one behind Lionel Messi. Their next challenge is a formidable quarterfinal match against England on Sunday, July 12, at Miami Stadium in the United States, where they will aim to continue defying expectations and further solidify their growing reputation on the world stage.
Norway is now developing into a team with a character that reminds me a bit of Croatia in the 1990s. They have such great spirit, talent, and quality that in the next 10 to 15 years, they have the potential to become a world football power like Croatia is today.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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