Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has coveted Real Madrid but now he can hurt them

Manchester United and Liverpool were already popular in Norway, but SAS suggested the recent boom was probably down to the “Haaland effect”.

City’s growing lure was felt the most in Haaland’s sleepy home town of Bryne (population 12,000) in the southwest of the country.

“First there were a lot of Salzburg shirts here, then it was Dortmund, but now it’s all blue,” Alf Ingve Berntsen, one of Haaland’s former coaches at Bryne, said. “The grown-ups are following their teams and Erling, but the children are all following Erling and City.”

With their hero having scored 51 goals in 46 club matches this season, it is easy to see why the people of Bryne are so proud of Haaland. He is only 22 years old but there is already a huge mural to the City striker painted on the side of one of the city’s buildings.

“He’s scored goals wherever he’s been, but I didn’t expect him to get more than 50 in his first year,” Berntsen, who coached Haaland for eight years, said. “City are perfect for him because they create so many chances for him.”

How long will it be, though, before the locals in Bryne start ditching their City shirts and buying Real Madrid kits instead? That may seem an odd question to ask given that Haaland is less than a year into his spell with City, but if we remind ourselves of the words of Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, last year, you can see why it will end up becoming a genuine topic of debate over the next couple of years.

“Erling wants to test out his capabilities in every league,” Alf-Inge, the former City midfielder, said in a Viaplay documentary on his son last October. “Then he can stay in every league for three to four years maximum.”

When Haaland decides to leave City, there will be a long list of suitors. At the front of queue will be Real, who take on City tonight (Tuesday) in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Two years ago, senior figures within the Real hierarchy were convinced that Haaland would join them rather than City in the summer of 2022.

On April 1, 2022, Alf-Inge and Mino Raiola, his son’s agent at the time, boarded a flight from Nice to Catalonia for a meeting with Barcelona’s executives. It was the first in a series of interviews that Alf-Inge and Raiola would hold with prospective buyers.

In an attempt to impress the pair, Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, had sent his personal chauffeur to collect them. Raiola, who died in April last year, and Alf-Inge then flew to Madrid, where they held a productive meeting with the chief executive. He gave his two visitors a tour of Real’s training ground and they were impressed.

At that point, Real thought they were in pole position, but they were not. In fact, they were third, behind City and Bayern Munich. Erling, Alf-Inge and Raiola had devised a points system that graded Haaland’s suitors. Clubs were marked out of ten in several categories, including stadium capacity, competitiveness of the league and the club’s need for a No.9. City scored 10/10 in that department and Real 5/10 because Karim Benzema, one of the world’s best strikers, is on their books.

It was thought that Haaland would have had a problem playing alongside Kylian Mbappe, who was a target for Real, but that is not the case. He would have jumped at the chance to play with the France international. When all the scores were added up, City beat Real by one point.

“How can you turn down the myth that is Real Madrid?” Jan Age Fjortoft, who leads the documentary, asks Haaland. The striker puffs out his cheeks, laughs and says: “That’s a good question. It is really not possible.”

Haaland likes Spain as a country. He has owned a villa in Marbella for a few years and last summer he went to a festival in Madrid. He has a fondness for Spanish football too, but he does not like it as much as the Premier League. When he was growing up, Haaland used to train in a City shirt with 45 (Mario Balotelli’s number) on the back, or in Nottingham Forest or Leeds United kits. He also owned an England shirt. This love of the Premier League was also a factor in his decision to choose City over Real.

Those who know Haaland well believe that he will one day play for Real, but the question is when. Real are expected to push for the Norwegian next summer, by which point Benzema will be 36. They are likely to be left disappointed. Haaland is enjoying his time with City immensely. He is scoring many goals, his manager is the best coach in the world and he enjoys the physical aspect of the Premier League.

There is a genuine warmth on his part towards the fans. Haaland goes on a lap of honour after the final whistle, applauding the supporters. He does so partly to look for any young fan who has a placard with his name on it, so he can give them his shirt.

The original plan was for Haaland to stay for three seasons in Manchester, but there is an acceptance now that the Norwegian could stay for at least one more season, because he is enjoying life with City so much.

Haaland mania has already spread to Madrid. A huge Breitling billboard featuring the striker was on show at Madrid airport. Carlo Ancelotti was peppered with questions on the striker at his pre-match press conference. The Real head coach was wary of overhyping the forward. “Obviously he is a very dangerous player,” Ancelotti said. “He is showing impressive quality especially in scoring goals.”

Some players melt under the spotlight, as City did here last season, but that is not the case with Haaland. He loves playing in the biggest games. As Rodri pointed out yesterday (Monday), Haaland is eager to get even better. “Erling is very simple, he’s still only 22, he’s just a kid,” the Spain midfielder said. “He’s so humble and wants to learn and listen. When you have this level many good things can happen.”

– The Times

Originally published as Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has coveted Real Madrid but now he can hurt them