Erling Haaland has revealed that he didn’t require much convincing to join Manchester City after leaving Borussia Dortmund.
When the 22-year-old stated his desire for a fresh challenge midway through last season, he had his selection among Europe’s top teams.
A few months later, he headed to Manchester City in a £51m ($60m) deal. Coincidentally, his father (Alfie Haaland) also played for Manchester City in his playing days)
While Alfie’s experience at the club was one of the factors in his decision to relocate to the North West, the biggest driving force was an opportunity to work under the Premier League’s reigning champion, Pep Guardiola.
Why Did He Reveal?
Haaland praised Guardiola in an interview with FourFourTwo for both the caliber of his coaching and the playing style he’s known for.
“Well, Pep didn’t have to sell the club to me, that’s for sure,” said the young striker.
“He didn’t have to sell anything. For starters, he’s a special trainer and that was so important to me.
“We all know what he has done for his clubs, but also for players and for the game in general.
“That’s something I want to be part of. I think we can have a lot of fun together.”
Haaland won’t have been old enough to recall seeing his father wear a blue Manchester City jersey, but he will have done plenty of research on the team before making his choice.
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While performing at the Eithad today is quite different from doing so at Maine Road when Alfie played there 20 years ago, the ideals are still very much the same.
“It’s huge,” he added. “The facilities around us, the staff, the people around the club, it’s a huge organisation.
“It’s a very professional club, it does everything in a good way to help the players which I really like.”
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