For more than a decade now, Messi and Ronaldo have ruled the sport of football. Their names have become synonymous with the game over time. However, every player has to retire someday. With Ronaldo and Messi’s career nearing an end, the world waits for the next big thing to arrive. And in Erling Haaland, they might have found one already! Still only 21, he has achieved huge feats. He has broken multiple records in his short professional career and has been honoured with multiple accolades. Many pundits and former players consider him to be the next GOAT in football. The meteoric rise of Haaland is in no way unknown to anyone unless somebody was living under the rock! However, there are plenty of facts that the press fails to cover and the magazines fail to provide.
But don’t you worry. We at The SportsLite.com are here to provide you with the 10 unknown facts about Erling Haaland that no one has ever told you about.
10 unknown facts about Erling Haaland
Haaland copies CR7’s diet
Most athletes have one major similarity, they eat super healthy food. And Haaland is not an exception here. He has gone all the to follow the diet of one of the greatest stars, Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2020, Haaland’s dad confirmed that his son eats the same food as Ronaldo, including fish, chicken, pasta, and yeah, no salt! It is often advised that ‘if you copy, copy it from the best.’ We presume Haaland took this advice to heart.
He was eligible to play for England
Haaland is the future of Norwegian football. He has scored 12 times in just 15 games for the Drillos and is the face of a young and competitive Norwegian side. However, he also had the option of representing England! This is because he was born in the English city of Leeds. And technically, this made him eligible to play for the Three Lions! Imagine a squad with Haaland and Kane upfront. Defenders would be shaking at that sight, won’t they?
Haaland scored Nine in one game
It is no secret that Haaland is a goal machine. His numbers say it all. Ever since his move to Dortmund in January 2020, he has netted 56 in 57 Bundesliga games! And in the Champions League, he has seen the face of goal 23 times in 19 games! But what will astonish you is that Haaland bundled home NINE goals in a single game! During a match against Honduras in the U-20 World Cup, the youngster banged nine times, cementing. Despite going out in the group stages, Haaland still went on to win the golden boot. No one can stop this man!
He made his debut at 15
From his very childhood, Haaland had a special attachment to football. Thus, he joined the academy at Bryne, a Norwegian club at age five. And a decade later, he made his debut for the senior team. When most of the kids are thinking about bunking school, Haaland was already making strides towards his career. In, no time he became a recognized face and soon enough, Molde, Norway’s biggest club signed the beast! At that time, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was the manager of Molde.
He is a prolific jumper
Haaland’s lightning-quick speed and huge stature of 194 cm are often too much for defenders. And his mobility and athleticism are some useful additions to his traits. However, one thing that sets him apart from most of the players is his ability to jump. He is a record-beating jumper. At the early age of five, he produced a standing jump of 1.63 metres! And it turned out to be a new world record and fifteen years on still stands today! This guy is best at whatever he does!
His idol is Zlatan
Haaland has taken the name of many footballers as his idol. But the name which appears most of the time is that of Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Swede has had a remarkably long career and now aged 39, is still troubling defences. With the kind of performances that he is providing, it is not long for him to get the Ballon d’Or and by doing so, he will leave behind Zlatan. Way to go, Erling!
Haaland’s dad was a footballer
Alf-Inge Haaland, Haaland’s dad, was also a footballer. He used to play as a defensive midfielder He had played 181 times in the Premier League for clubs like Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. Haaland was born while he was playing for Leeds. He is famous for being badly tackled by the hothead Roy Keane. It was said that Keane committed that foul deliberately in revenge for an old challenge that had injured him several years ago. Keane later admitted that he did try to hurt him but did not intend to injure him. Typical Keane statement!
He comes from a sporting family
Like his father, his mum was also an athlete. Gry Marita Braut was a national heptathlon champion. That might be the reason why Haaland can jump so high. It doesn’t stop here though. His brother, Albert Tjåland, is also a footballer. Until March 2021, Albert had scored over sixty times in just 37 games for Molde B. Imagine watching them play together. They will be giving nightmares to defenders!
Love for the Champions League
It is a dream for every footballer to make a name in the Champions League. For Haaland though, it’s more than a competition. He is desperate to lift the silverware. He has gone so wild for it that he has put the Champions League anthem as his alarm clock! “I wake up to it every day. It’s the last song I’m tired of. I always get a perfect start to the day” said Haaland. Now that’s called motivation!
He is nicknamed as the ‘Manchild’
Haaland is massive as a human being. He is 1.94 metres tall. But this growth is not something that has happened recently. Ever since his childhood, he was absurdly taller than most of his peers. While playing for the youth team at Molde, he was nicknamed ‘manchild’ by his teammates due to his girly look but mammoth of a size. Former Molde skipper Ruben Gabrielson exclaimed what was it like to play against a younger Haaland. He was found saying that Haaland used to dominate everybody in training and everyone was like, who is that? I think they have now got the answer.
With a massive stature, a loving family, lots and lots of goals and an eye for winning, we hope that Haaland will continue entertaining us with his exploits and continue marching towards a successful career!
So, these were the 10 unknown facts about Erling Haaland that you might have never heard about. We hope that you liked this article and if you do, consider subscribing to TheSportsLite.com to receive freshly curated articles on match analysis, player profiles and much more, EVERY DAY!
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