American politics rarely finds itself connected to football, but the latest New Mexico gubernatorial election has given soccer fans an unexpected reason to bring up Erling Haaland. After Deb Haaland secured a historic victory on November 3, fans couldn’t help noticing something familiar about the newly elected governor’s name. And the Manchester City striker soon found himself pulled into the conversation.

Deb Haaland defeated Republican Greggory Hull to become New Mexico’s next governor, making history as the first Indigenous woman elected to the position in the United States. Celebrating her victory, she wrote on social media, “Thank you, New Mexico! Tonight, you made history. You chose a future where Mexico comes first, where working families have a chance to get ahead, and where every new Mexican has a voice.”

While her victory marked a significant moment in American politics, football fans had another question on their minds: Is she related to Manchester City’s Norwegian goal machine?

The shared surname was enough to spark some amusing conversations online. Some of the fans asked, “Is she related to…you know…?” However, the connection between the two goes a little beyond their names, although both families have Norwegian roots.

Deb Haaland, born in 1960, is a member of the Laguna Pueblo Indigenous community (through her mother) and previously served as Secretary of the Interior. She previously served as New Mexico’s representative in Congress before joining Joe Biden’s administration as Secretary of the Interior in 2021. That appointment made her the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary.

Her father, a Norwegian-American Marine Corps officer, traced his ancestry to Tor Pedersen Haaland, who emigrated from Norway in 1883. The family eventually settled in Minnesota, where Deb’s father grew up.

In fact, Deb has previously visited Norway to explore her ancestral connections, including a trip to Kvitsøy, the small island community associated with her family’s origins. Her background therefore brings together two distinct histories: her mother’s Laguna Pueblo heritage and her father’s Norwegian ancestry. Highlighting this, some of the fans tried to draw a connection with Erling Haaland: “She is half Norwegian, so she might be.”

While Deb’s political journey has taken her from Congress to the governor’s office, Erling’s rise has been on the football pitch. Born in Leeds, Erling is the son of former footballer Alf-Inge Haaland and track athlete Gry Marita Braut.

Although he was born in England, Erling grew up in Norway and represents the country internationally. His father also enjoyed a professional football career, playing for clubs including Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester City.

Interestingly, his full name, Erling Braut Haaland, reflects both sides of his family. He inherited Braut from his mother and Haaland from his father. Deb, meanwhile, inherited the same surname through her Norwegian-American father.

So, despite the striking similarity, there is no publicly documented family relationship between the newly elected governor and the Manchester City striker. Their shared Norwegian ancestry explains the coincidence, but there is no reliable genealogical evidence establishing that they are related. Yet some of the fans raised question marks, saying, “Any relation to Erling Haaland?”

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Deb’s name has piqued Mancunian fanbase’s interest. Back in July 2022, a rather unfortunate coincidence involving her injury and Erling’s arrival at the Etihad had supporters briefly confused between two completely different headlines.

On July 17, 2022, Deb broke her left fibula while hiking in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. Around the same period, Manchester City had completed the formalities of signing Erling, with the announcement coming in June and the transfer officially taking effect on July 1.

The timing created some confusion on social media, particularly among fans who initially associated the name Haaland with City’s latest superstar signing. Recalling the incident, one fan wrote, “Omg do you not remember when she broke her leg, and it was right after City announced the Erling signing and City Twitter lost their mind until they all actually clicked on the articles?”

And the connection became even funnier recently when Deb decided to embrace the surname coincidence herself. Ahead of Halloween on November 1, the politician dressed up as Erling, sporting a Manchester City jersey and a long blonde wig to recreate the Norwegian striker’s familiar look. She even posed with a rather adorable soccer ball that appeared to be her dog. Another fan wrote, “I need to see the Deb Haaland x Erling Haaland Link up.”

Now, with her historic election victory bringing her back into the spotlight, the two Haalands have once again become an unexpected talking point among soccer fans. Whether it is a Halloween costume, an old injury headline, or a major political victory, one thing is certain: Manchester City fans will probably never look at the surname Haaland quite the same way again.