During the NATO summit in Turkey, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney lightened the mood by humorously attempting to recruit Norwegian football sensation Erling Haaland for Canada's World Cup squad, sparking a playful exchange with his Norwegian counterpart.
Key Points
- Canadian PM Mark Carney jokingly attempted to recruit Norwegian football star Erling Haaland for Canada's World Cup team.
- The humorous exchange occurred during a NATO summit in Turkey, where Carney met Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Stoere.
- Stoere playfully rejected the offer, stating that Haaland 'is not for sale'.
- The banter highlighted friendly diplomatic relations between Canada and Norway amidst serious summit discussions.
- Canada recently exited the World Cup after a historic run, while Norway advanced to the quarter-finals.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney mixed business with banter at the NATO summit in Turkey as he jokingly attempted to recruit Norway's star striker Erling Haaland for his country's next World Cup squad.
Diplomatic Banter And Football Dreams
Carney met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the sidelines of the summit in Turkey's capital Ankara on Tuesday, a day after agreeing to a submarine deal with a German-Norwegian partnership. Highlighting the importance of Canada's relationship with Norway, Carney could not resist making an audacious pitch for the Norwegian forward who has scored seven goals at the World Cup.
"Interoperability also means sharing crews. And in the next World Cup, if you could share Erling Haaland with us, that would be greatly, greatly appreciated," he joked, drawing laughs from Stoere.
Stoere immediately broke into a Viking-row gesture and said: "He is not for sale."
Norway stunned Brazil in the round of 16 and play England in the quarter-finals on Saturday. World Cup co-hosts Canada bowed out of the tournament last week after an inspirational run that saw them claim the nation's first World Cup point, first World Cup victory and first knockout-stage win.
