– Surprised Real Madrid

• Norway – Northern Ireland, at 20.45 Wednesday

ULLEVAAL (Dagbladet): Erling Braut Haaland (20) and Norway are preparing for the match against Northern Ireland in the Nations League on Wednesday.

Haaland scored a hat trick against Romania on Sunday, which once again sent him straight in the headlines. Also in Spain, the sensational striker is front-page news today.

– Haaland if Mbappé does not come, writes Marca, which is Spain’s largest newspaper.

Avisa suggests that Paris Saint-Germain player Kylian Mbappé (21) is the club’s first choice, but that the alarm bells are ringing as Haaland scores goals.

According to the newspaper, the rapid development has surprised the big club, which has reportedly had the Norwegian on the radar since the Molde era.

– Erling Haaland continues to impress everyone. His job is to score goals. The truth is that he repeats this every time he goes out on the green grass. It has placed him in the spotlight of all clubs looking for a number nine (striker), with Real Madrid in the driver’s seat, the newspaper writes.

– He is the only player who is capable of overshadowing Kylian Mbappé. They share star status in Football Europe. The number of goals – he already has eleven this season for Borussia Dortmund and Norway – once again makes the alarm bells ring in Real Madrid.

The club is said to have followed Haaland for a couple of years, but has been surprised.

– The truth is that the development has gone faster than anyone expected, including the people of Madrid, it says.

The club under the leadership of Zinédine Zidane leads the series in Spain, but has only scored six goals in four games.

– Karim Benzema needs a player who can be his partner and a future alternative. Neither Luka Jovic nor Mariano Mejia have confidence in the coach. This strengthens Haaland’s name, reports Storavisa.

The 20-year-old has a contract with Borussia Dortmund until the summer of 2024. A picture the Norwegian Football Association shared on social media after the Romania match made headlines in Spain.

The picture shows Martin Ødegaard resting his legs in Haaland’s lap, after two goal-scoring passes and three goals, respectively. According to Marca, fans hope that Ødegaard can lure the compatriot to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

When Real Madrid first decides, the club is like an amorous Spaniard who goes in with skin and hair. When Ødegaard was picked up from Strømsgodset in 2015, a private plane landed at Rygge airport outside Moss. The then 15-year-old Ødegaard had no doubt that he was wanted.

King of the Castle of the Air

Haaland’s hat trick against Romania on Sunday has traveled around Europe. Tomorrow Northern Ireland is waiting for Ullevaal.

“His finishes are incredible,” Sunderland right-back Conor McLaughlin told Northern Irish newspapers today. He was not on the field when Norway beat Northern Ireland 5-1 in Belfast in September.

But from the bench he noted:

– What struck me was how ruthless he was. He is probably one of the fastest strikers I have seen, says the Sunderland player, who places the Norwegian in class with Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.

– He will not go for less than 100 million pounds (1.2 billion kroner). That is the price you have to pay for such a player today, Northern Ireland coach Ian Baraclough told Dagbladet last month.

In that case, Real Madrid must dig deep into their pockets.