If anyone had told Erling Haaland four years ago that he’d be competing with Lionel Messi for global awards, he may not have believed it, and that’s because he was still playing for RB Salzburg in the Austrian league and on the verge of a move to Borussia Dortmund in January 2024, a move that revealed how much the man knew about himself.
Haaland chose Dortmund over Manchester United, and although people wondered why at the time, it turned out to be the right choice. Less than two seasons into his Manchester City career, the Norwegian striker is faced with another serious transfer link, and the 2023 Ballon d’Or runner-up gave his honest opinion on those wild transfer rumors, giving a hint on how comfortable he feels at his current club.
Erling Haaland explains what’s next for him
If any player has enjoyed a meteoric rise in global football, it surely is Erling Haaland. His career path so far has been Bryne, Molde, RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City. That may seem like a regular person’s career, but there’s nothing regular about how good Haaland has become in the past few years and how a wrong career move could have denied him the chance to be the player we all know him to be today.
After scoring his 80th goal for the club in less than two seasons in the Manchester Derby last weekend, Haaland has now opened up on his City career and what the future may hold for him. “My focus is mainly now on the pitch. There’s a lot of games. Two days ago a Derby, now a Champions League game (vs Copenhagen), Sunday is Liverpool. I think I should focus on that,” Haaland subtly responded when reporters asked him about his future plans.
Erling Haaland has been Manchester City’s goal machine since joining the oil-money-backed club from Dortmund in the summer of 2022. Haaland scored 36 league goals in his debut season, the most anyone has ever managed to score in a single Premier League season, and his overall 50+ goals helped Pep Guardiola’s team secure a treble for the first time in the club’s history.
Erling Haaland’s candid thoughts on Real Madrid link
Despite joining Manchester City less than two seasons ago, Erling Haaland has always been linked with a move to Real Madrid, considering how the Los Blancos failed to get an ideal replacement for Karim Benzema when the Frenchman joined Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League last summer.
Haaland, who recently won the Onze d’Or award, is a perfect fit for Real Madrid, and he has once admitted the club’s greatness. However, he’s part of something even more special under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, with last season’s treble proving that he’s at arguably the best football club in the world right now.
“I’m really happy, especially with the people I’m surrounded by,” last season’s PFA Player of the Year said on his Real Madrid links.
“The managers, the directors, the board, I am really happy I have to say. I say this now and it will probably be a massive headline, but tomorrow you never know what the future brings, but I am happy. You can write this, but you also have to write everything I said before; I am happy here,” Erling Haaland added.
Haaland’s focus will now be on helping his team qualify for the next round of the UEFA Champions League, as City have an advantage over Copenhagen after beating them 3-1 in the reverse fixture. Haaland will also look to score some goals, as he failed to score any when City traveled to Denmark over a fortnight ago.
