Professional footballers may be known for their lavish lifestyles – fast cars and big houses – but one footballing superstar decided to use his fortune to give a historic Christian manuscript to his local library.
Norway’s Erling Haaland and his father decided to fork out $134,000 for the Heimskringla, a collection of Viking sagas that dates back to the late 16th century, EWTN reports.
The sagas document the lives of all sections of Norse society in the middle ages and detail the spread of Christianity in Norway.
Haaland himself is widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers of the present day, scoring more goals than any other player in the 2025/26 Premier League season. At the recent World Cup he had the fourth highest personal goal tally.
His father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was also a professional footballer in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Heimskringla is believed to have been created in 1594, however it is also believed to be a copy of a much earlier document produced by an Icelandic scholar in the 13th century.
The original was in Old Norse and tells the story of King Olaf Haraldsson, who converted to Christianity and was later recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church. Over the centuries he has become a symbol of both Norwegian national pride and identity, and its spiritual formation as a Christian country.
The Haalands have donated the manuscript to the public library in their hometown of Bryne.
Erling Haaland told Norwegian media, “I want the book always to lie open so that people can read about those who came from where I come from, from Bryne and Jæren.”
He added, “I’ve been lucky enough to live out my dream through football, and I know not everyone gets that chance. Books give so many more people the chance to dream big, see new possibilities and find their own path.”
