It’s been only months since Erling Haaland arrived in Manchester City, and the striker already has racked up double figures in goals even before the World Cup break commenced. The 22-year-old was signed by the reigning Premier League champions in the summer of this season, for a fee of as little as £51 million.
At a time when a player of his calibre, who had smashed in 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund, would have easily cost around £100 million, City was lucky enough to get their hands on him at half the price.
City have so far reaped the rewards as well, with the striker netting a staggering 23 goals in just 17 games in all competitions so far for them. And with a manager like Pep Guardiola at the helm of the club for at least until the summer of 2025 after penning an extension, Haaland could well reach new heights sooner than later.
However, it seems he has other plans, those almost similar to his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. Erling Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge Haaland, who also plied his trade for City, has dropped a new hint about his son’s future with the Premier League side.
Erling Haaland open to playing in France, Spain – Alf Inge Haaland
Erling Haaland penned a five-year deal at Manchester City in the summer after making a move from Dortmund. The Norwegian has had a good start at the club as well, despite the fact he failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with his country.
However, just before the month-long break kicked in for the World Cup, there were rumours that Haaland has already planned for his future, which apparently doesn’t lay with the Premier League side.
According to early rumours, Haaland had already asked the City group to insert a ‘Real Madrid’ clause into his five-year deal. As per the clause, whenever the striker would have wanted to leave City, the club will give Real the first and foremost preference for bidding for him.
Moreover, the reports even added that the clause also said City will have to accept the fee that Real will pay, which will also be a fairly hefty one.
Although Guardiola was quick to dismiss such rumours, Erling’s father Alf-Inge Haaland is not letting the rumours of his son eyeing a move away from Etihad in the future go away.
The former City midfielder had already once spoken about the son’s future, wherein he had revealed that the 22-year-old would like to try the experience of playing in different leagues, like the French or the Spanish La Liga. Now, speaking to DAZN in his latest interview, Alf-Inge Haaland has reiterated those thoughts as he said:
“Erling could stay at City for 15 years because he is very happy and we are talking about a huge club. But my impression is that he wants to demonstrate that he can win at any of the big leagues. He was in Germany for two-and-a-half years and he could do something like that in his future. Staying in the Premier League for three years and then going to Italy, Spain or France. There’s nothing firm about it, but it’s a possibility because Erling is capable of being a winner in any team.”
Surely, Erling Haaland wants to carve a career as that of Cristiano Ronaldo, at least in terms of the number of elite clubs he has played for. Starting with Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo then plied his trade for three different clubs Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
The five-time Ballon d’Or is once again searching for a club, after his mutual contract termination with United, whom he joined last summer for a second spell. Likewise, the Portuguese, who conquered England, Spain and Italy, Haaland too reportedly wants a wandering career winning it all, everywhere.