Erling Haaland's leaked WhatsApp messages with team-mate show how much has changed

Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard were among a group of players who had their private WhatsApp messages leaked as part of a book that caused controversy last year

Premier League stars Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard have seen a significant shift in their circumstances since their private messages were part of a national scandal.

Now they are on the cusp of securing a spot in the 2026 World Cup in a drastic turn of events. The Norwegian pair were part of a group whose private communications were leaked in a book published last year. And not only were internal discussions within the Norway camp exposed, but also detailed conversations between Haaland and Odegaard themselves.

NRK published texts between the two Premier League players, which showed Haaland, then at Borussia Dortmund, sharing a screenshot of the Dagbladet homepage. The topic was Norway's travel situation during the pandemic, to which Odegaard, then at Real Madrid, responded with seven Santa Claus emojis.

'The Battle of the National Team' sparked controversy following its 2024 release due to the sensitive information it contained. One such issue was Norway's alleged bypassing of coronavirus protocols to ensure maximum player availability for the UEFA Nations League.

In November 2020, defender Omar Elabdellaoui tested positive for Covid-19. However, it was suggested team doctor Asle B. Kjellsen used an "ethically questionable loophole" to allow 19 Norwegian players, including Haaland, to represent their country.

Around the time of the book's launch, Norway suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat to Austria and were left watching Euro 2024 from the sidelines after failing to qualify. However, the fortunes of Haaland and Odegaard have dramatically improved over the past year.

In addition to bouncing back to secure promotion in the Nations League, Norway are also on the cusp of securing a place at the 2026 World Cup. The nation hasn't qualified for a major international tournament since their participation in Euro 2000, but they could end that 25-year-long drought next month.

Norway are three points ahead of Italy in UEFA qualifying Group I with two matches remaining, the last of which will be against each other. Nevertheless, Stale Solbakken's team can effectively seal their spot in North America next year after Haaland bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 trouncing of Israel.

Manchester City talisman Haaland, who returned early from international duty, has been particularly impressive during this qualifying campaign, scoring 12 goals so far. To put that into perspective, his closest UEFA rival, the Netherlands' Memphis Depay, has scored only seven goals.

Norway are guaranteed at least a play-off spot as they aim to secure a place at next year's World Cup. However, they could outdo themselves by beating Italy to first place in their group.

This turnaround is a testament to Solbakken's efforts and highlights how quickly circumstances can change. In a sense, some might see this improvement as a positive turn of events since the book's release.

"It's clear that we don't want things like this to leak out," said Genoa and Norway midfielder Morten Thorsby after the book's release. "I understand very well that people outside are interested in this, but it is something we should keep private, it is important that private messages between us remain in the group."

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