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Why Antonio Nusa could be Norway’s secret weapon this World Cup

Every four years, when fans are mulling over their World Cup predictions, often the most interesting question is around the “dark horse”, the nation with little expectation of winning the tournament, but with enough buzz around them to go far.

 

This summer, Norway are a perfect example.

 

It is easy to see why. First of all, they have Erling Haaland, arguably the greatest goalscorer on the planet, and having not played at a World Cup since 1998, there is significant sense of novelty around their return.

 

But that goes beyond the 28-year wait or even Haaland alone. He is not simply their only hope, but the face of a genuinely exciting generation of footballers who could see Norway go from relative obscurity to contenders almost overnight.

 

Whether this is a truly fair comparison remains to be seen, but Norway’s growth shares similarities with Belgium, who became a threat with the likes of Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku ahead of Euro 2012.

 

Martin Odegaard, Oscar Bobb and Alexander Sorloth will gain a lot of attention this summer and rightly so, and nobody will be able to escape Haaland’s shadow, but the man who could raise his profile more than anyone is RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa.

 

His performance against Sweden in a warm up was a glimpse of what he can do. Not only did he score a wonderful goal in a 3-1 win, but he kept the Swedish defence guessing whenever he got the ball. Few wingers can match his dribbling ability, and his ability to attack space is scary.

 

With four goals and four assists in the Bundesliga last season, he hasn’t quite attracted the attention he deserves on the world stage. Since his days as a teenager with Belgian side Club Brugge, though, he has been earmarked for big things. He has been dubbed the ‘Norwegian Neymar’, a nickname he justified with 27 successful dribbles in qualifying, second only to Jeremy Doku.

 

“I love one-on-one situations. It’s what I enjoy most about football – dribbling, having the freedom to create something on the pitch,” he explained to RB Leipzig’s official website in March.

 

At Leipzig, he doesn’t get all the adulation, either. The club is used to buying and nurturing talent to be sold for profit. This summer, Ivorian winger Yan Diamonde is the man in focus, with the 19-year-old capturing the attention of Liverpool and PSG.

 

Nusa is just a year older, and he will be hoping the fact he goes under the radar for both club and country will help him surprise a few people this summer.

 

From there, anything is possible. Nusa has the ability to reach the top, he just needs to show it. Before moving to Germany, he almost joined Brentford. He is destined for bigger things sooner or later.

 

Norway are a very interesting case this summer. They find themselves in a group with tournament favourites France this summer, and there could hardly be a better test of their credentials for success, but they’ll be looking to make an instant impact against Iran on Tuesday.

 

Right now, that feels a little beyond them. Haaland’s presence means Norway will always be treated with caution, but they are much more than a one-man team. There has been a revolution in the country over the past decade or so, they are a serious team. Nusa could be their wildcard.

 

The Norwegian Neymar may not be known across the world yet, but he is ready to explode on the biggest stage of all.