Erling Haaland credits his son for putting him in the best form of his career. That's not a PR line — he said it directly to the Associated Press in October 2025, and if you've watched him play lately, it's hard to argue.
"When I go home, I relax even more," Haaland said. "I don't think of football at all." For a striker who's rewritten the Premier League scoring record books, the idea that total mental disconnection is his secret weapon is genuinely fascinating. The man scores goals the way most people breathe, and apparently he does it best when he's not thinking about it.
How Haaland and Isabel Johansen got together
The story starts in Bryne, Norway. Haaland and Isabel Haugseng Johansen both played for Bryne FK growing up, though Haaland admits he has no memory of their early encounters. Johansen does — she's called it "fate." She also made the first move, messaging him herself. "She was the one who checked me out. I wasn't the one who checked her out," Haaland said on Norwegian broadcaster NRK in September 2025.
They've been together since at least 2021. In December 2024, they welcomed a son — announced with characteristic Haaland bluntness: a photo on X of him cradling a football like a baby bump.
Johansen was a player herself, quick rather than technical by her own admission. "I wasn't the best with dribbling and stuff. I was more with speed," she said in their October 2025 YouTube video. She's no longer playing competitively, but the shared background clearly matters to Haaland. "She played football... it's nice because you understand football," he said.
She was at Wembley when it mattered
Johansen regularly attends Haaland's matches, and in May 2026 she was in the stands at Wembley as Manchester City beat Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. "Happy girlie. FA Cup winners! So proud," she posted alongside photos from the day.
Away from football, the couple's idea of a good night is home cooking, Minecraft, and the occasional kebab run back to Bryne. Haaland cooks. Johansen games. It works.
As for the son who's apparently unlocked peak Haaland: "I need to give a shout-out to my son." Goalscorers have had stranger sources of motivation.
