It's very relaxed and we're good friends and that's how it should be. Whatever happens during the game stays out on the pitch' Martin Odegaard on his relationship with international team-mate and club rival Erling Haaland

"When Norway sealed their spot at this summer's World Cup, it marked the end of a 28-year exile from the planet's biggest tournament. The 1998 Norwegian squad, managed by Egil Olsen, featured the likes of Premier League stars Ronny Johnsen, Henning Berg, Tore Andre Flo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The team that will head over to North America this summer is also built around players currently plying their trade in England, headlined by Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland."

"We're really relaxed about it, Odegaard tells FourFourTwo. He knows, I know, everyone knows that we're competing against each other. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. That's just the way it is. But when it comes to the national team, or even outside of football, we don't really talk about it at all. We're just normal friends. We talk about other things, or about the national team when we're together. We don't really speak about football that much."

Norway ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup by qualifying for the tournament in North America. The 1998 squad included Ronny Johnsen, Henning Berg, Tore Andre Flo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The current squad centers on players based in England, with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland as focal points. Head coach Ståle Solbakken plans to rely on Odegaard and Haaland at the tournament. Odegaard and Haaland will contest a Premier League title race before the World Cup while maintaining a relaxed friendship and keeping national-team matters separate from club rivalry.

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