Antonio Nusa wanted a World Cup meeting with Neymar. He got the chance to share the stage with him in Norway's win over Brazil, and that was only part of the story. Norway have reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the country's history, while Nusa's off-field project is drawing real attention too.

The book that has travelled with the tournament

Nusa released a children's book, Everything Begins with a Dream, in May. Nearly 21,000 copies were sold in less than two months, and a third print run is already underway. It is a neat fit with the tournament run, even if the two things should be kept separate. The book is not evidence of what he will do next on the pitch, just a separate part of a surprisingly public summer.

The tournament numbers still matter. Nusa has played five World Cup matches and scored once, so this has not been a cameo from a squad player drifting through a headline run. His World Cup rating sits at 6.68, which is steady enough to back up the sense that he has been involved throughout Norway's progress.

Norway's run and Nusa's role in it

Norway's route has had a proper edge to it. They beat Côte d'Ivoire in the round of 32 thanks to a stunning strike from Nusa, then went on to beat Brazil 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. That is the kind of run that gives a tournament story its weight, and Nusa has been part of it on the pitch as well as around it.

There is a club-side backdrop too. RB Leipzig finished third in the Bundesliga, which is the level Nusa returns to after the World Cup. For now, though, the more unusual detail is the way his name sits across two different stories: one in Norway's football history, the other on the cover of a book that is selling fast.

Nusa said he had hoped to see Neymar at the tournament and looked forward to following Brazil and, hopefully, playing them and beating them. He got that meeting, and he got the win. Norway now move on to the quarter-finals, with Nusa's World Cup role already set and the book still climbing toward its next print run.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →