2026 World Cup: Haaland’s Heart of Gold—He Sends His Jersey to the Family Devastated by Dennis’s Death

A star on the field and off it as well. Erling Haaland has made headlines for a gesture of great compassion: he sent one of his game jerseys to the Norwegian Skjorestad family, who recently lost their six-year-old son, Dennis, in a tragic accident.

A huge fan of the Manchester City and Norwegian national team striker, little Dennis was struck by a car in Time, a municipality in Stavanger County—a place very dear to Erling Haaland himself. The driver did not stop, which made the incident even sadder and more tragic, as well as turning it into a “national story.”

“It’s impossible for us, as parents and siblings, to fully understand what you’re going through, but please know that we, like so many others, care deeply and are thinking of you,” Erling wrote in the letter he sent along with his Norwegian national team jersey.

“You gave us goosebumps like never before, and if Dennis were here, he would have been so proud. Erling, you were his idol, so thank you so much,” wrote Thomas Skjorestad, little Dennis’s father, in his thank-you post. Erling Haaland’s gesture moved the entire nation of Norway and reaffirmed, once again, the heart of gold possessed by the powerful, blond-haired striker.