“Rest in Peace”- Erling Haaland Mourns the Passing of His ‘Uncle’ as Jack Grealish & Fans Pay Condolences

In 2022, when Erling Haaland signed with the City, Ivar Eggja made sure the soccer player moved into a fully furnished apartment and had a well-stocked fridge. Eggja did the same for Haaland when he had previously signed with Borussia Dortmund. “I think if I had been all alone and had to choose my own apartment and go shopping in IKEA, I wouldn’t have scored three goals against Augsburg on my Dortmund debut,” Haaland was thankful for the efforts his uncle made to keep him comfortable.

Eggja has been Haaland’s backbone throughout the years. From taking care of the technical details of online interviews to guiding the kid to choose his commercial partnerships, it was all Eggja in the background, so much so that if the television camera ever zoomed in on Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, Eggja was most likely right next to him. But he wasn’t related to the Haaland’s by blood.

Eggja was Alf-Inge’s dear friend. So dear that he was the best man when Alf-Inge got married to Gry Marita and so Erling Haaland had known him as long as he knew his parents. But this support is now gone. 

His uncle passed away. Haaland took to Instagram to share the grim news. “What a legend you are Ivar. Words cannot describe how much you have meant to me! Words cannot describe how much you loved being missed! Give me more sh-t! Give me more sh-t! That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Thank you so much for everything, you maniac. May we meet again. Rest In Peace Ivar ❤️,” he wrote.

Remember how Erling Haaland had a great start when he joined Manchester City? He had scored 19 goals in 12 games and yes, partly it was his incredible talent, but in the background, it was Ivar Eggja who constantly made the right moves. He was not only the chief fixer for Team Haaland but also his facilitator.

Back in 2022, Jonas Adnan Giaever, a Norwegian journalist for Dagbladet, shared how Eggja propelled the soccer player to success. “Erling has a trainer, Ivar Eggja, who works very closely with his father. He acts as a ‘facilitator’ finding him a home, looking after his diet, and giving him everything he needs so that he only thinks about football. When he arrived in Manchester, he already had everything ready,” Giaever had revealed.

Uncle Eggja hailed from a business background in Erling’s birthplace Bryne. Aside from opening two shoe stores in the 1980s, he later co-founded a bar and restaurant with Alf-Inge, which sadly closed in 2014. Yet, that didn’t stop him from investing in Marbella’s nightlife, where Haaland and his teammates often party.

Ivar Eggja had experience in the shipping business, which he looked after in Toronto, Canada. Haaland has lost a very important support system. The soccer world gathered together to pay their respects to the man who quite literally looked after the 24-year-old.

Erling Haaland: Soccer world comforts the player: “He surely will be missed”

Erling Haaland shared the sad news with his 38.8 million Instagram followers. The 24-year-old posted a carousel of eight pictures, showcasing some beautiful moments he had shared with his Uncle Ivar. A few of the photos also featured his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, who was also a former soccer star.

Fellow Man City forward Jack Grealish commented on the post: “😢😢😢😢😢 RIP IVAR 😢🩵🙏🏻.”

Haaland didn’t disclose the cause of the death while father Alfie is yet to break the silence of the passing of his brother-from-another-mother. However, the last photo of the carousal glimpsed Erling holding the hand of his uncle, who seemed to be lying on the hospital bed, suggesting Ivar was suffering from a long-term illness.

The Sky Blues also sent a message to their talented striker, saying, “Rest in peace, Ivar 🩵.”

Even rival Premier League stars also came to express their condolences. Leicester City forward Patson Daka commented, “🙏🏾💐🕊️.”

Speaking of his former teammates, Aymeric Laporte, who moved to Al Nassr last season commented, “🙏❤️🕊️.” Meanwhile, from Borussia Dortmund, Jadon Sancho paid tribute with a red heart emoji.

It was just the beginning of this year that saw Haaland mourn the loss of his grandmother– Alfie’s mother, Tone Rasdal. She passed away at the age of 80. In fact, her death while residing in the Sivdaheimen nursing home located in Bryne took place on the same day that Haaland faced Everton in the Premier League. That time, the former RB Salzburg man received an outpour of support from the soccer world and today is no different.

“He surely will be missed. His heart, his presence, his energy all filled up the room. Rest well my friend. 💔,” one fan wrote.

We hope Erling Haaland finds the strength to deal with this loss. RIP.