Erling Haaland’s World Cup run ends, but his name is now winning hearts in Peru

According to reports, a growing number of parents in the South American nation have decided to name their children after the Norwegian football star this year.

According to Peru's National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC), 468 Peruvians already bear the surname Haaland, while a further 91 children have been registered with his full name, Erling Haaland, Euronews reported.

Registrations reportedly began to increase after the World Cup kicked off, with the trend gaining momentum as Norway and Haaland impressed during the football mega event.

Riding on Haaland's heroic performances, Norway reached the quarter-finals, where their campaign came to an end following a spirited performance by England.

Haaland emerged as one of the tournament's biggest stars, scoring seven goals.

RENIEC spokesman Iván Torres told Peruvian broadcaster Televisión Panamericana, as quoted by Euronews, that football stars often influence parents when it comes to choosing names for newborns in Peru.

With a touch of humour, he added: "Haaland is Peruvian too."

The Civil Registry also lists 3,402 Peruvians named Messi, including 292 officially registered as Lionel Messi. However, Brazilian football star Neymar remains the undisputed leader, with 33,809 namesakes, making it the most popular given name of footballing origin in the country, according to Euronews.

Meanwhile, 1,185 people in Peru are reportedly named after Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo.

The tournament marked only Norway's fourth appearance at the World Cup and its first since 1998.