Erling Haaland has name-dropped three former Manchester City players that contributed to his personal ambition to make the move to the Etihad Stadium.
The Norwegian striker’s journey to City has been well documented, but his latest admission offers a fascinating insight into how long the dream had been forming prior to his transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
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Since making that vision a reality, the 25-year-old has rewritten the club’s history books, and a staggering debut season haul saw him break the Premier League’s single-season scoring record with 36 goals as Pep Guardiola’s side stormed to a historic Treble.
In the seasons that followed, Erling Haaland’s game has continued to evolve, adding greater link-up play and defensive intensity to his relentless finishing under the meticulous guidance of Pep Guardiola.
Speaking during the latest episode of TNT Sports’ The Breakdown, Haaland reminisced on watching Manchester City prior to joining the club, and how the attacking phases of play from three players in particular left him dreaming of a switch.
“I’ve been watching Manchester City as long as I can remember,” admitted Haaland to Owen Hargreaves.
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“I remember watching Kyle [Walker], [Raheem] Sterling, [Leroy] Sane shooting balls in, crossing, I was like, ‘I’d be there’,” he continued.
“So you can kind of say I manifested it a little bit and when it happened I was over the moon!”
The trio he referenced were central to Manchester City’s devastating wide play during the late 2010s, with their pace and delivery from the flanks becoming a trademark of Pep Guardiola’s system at the time, stretching defences and flooding the penalty area with opportunity.
For a young striker analysing the game, it was a perfect match as Haaland’s instinctive movement and explosive runs into the box would eventually align seamlessly with the creative supply line Manchester City had become famous for.
Years later, those imagined scenarios have translated into tangible success, with Erling Haaland not only finishing chances but reshaping the role of a modern No.9 within Pep Guardiola’s structure.
