France midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni suggested it was a bit of mind games; former England striker and now pundit Gary Lineker said that maybe he had learned something from his boss at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola. Either way, Norway striker Erling Haaland caused controversy with his comment that he "didn't care" about his side's final group game against France, with both teams already qualified for the knockouts.
But those closest to Haaland insist it was not intended to be disrespectful. Rather, it was a glimpse into his mindset at this World Cup. Essentially: nothing to lose, nothing to fear.
Haaland is in a different place to some of the other stars at this tournament. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal have all come here to win. Haaland isn't here to lose -- far from it -- but expectations on Norway are not the same as those on Argentina, Portugal, France, Brazil, England and Spain.
