Erling Haaland: Interesting Facts You Probably Don’t Know
Haaland’s already made a huge impact on not just Manchester City, but the game in itself. Thanks to his undeniable talent and passion for the game, there’s no doubt Haaland still has a lot to offer the game.
Thanks to a little luck and plenty of skill - just like what you need when playing on the Sweet Bonanza slot - Haaland has managed to dominate games. Whilst his skill is widely known, let's take a look at some things you may not know about him:
He was pretty much born to be a top athlete
Haaland was dealt a good hand in life from the get-go. Both his mother and father were talented athletes in their own right. Erlings father, Alf-Inge, played football for top-tier teams such as Leeds United and Manchester City. But Alf-Inge is probably most famous for the absolutely shocking tackle he was subjected to at the hands of Roy Keane.
Erlings mother, Gry Marita Braun, was a national champion in the Heptathlon in the 90s. Her father was also a very well-respected long-distance runner. It’s no wonder Erling Haaland seems destined to be one of the greats with a family tree like that!
Haaland is also an exceptional handball player
Hallands father revealed in an interview that he wanted to make sure his son had a choice of different sports to excel at. By the tender age of 14, Erling has tried numerous different sports including handball, cross-country skiing, and various forms of athletics.
It turned out he was good at quite a few of the different sports he tried, with handball being one of the standouts. Many of the coaches he trained under felt like he could become a professional player and the national coach of Norway even wanted him to join the squad.
He set a world record at age 5
Here’s a fact that may shock you - Haaland actually set his first world record at five years old! Whilst other kids will sit around, watching kids' Tv shows and drawing pictures to hang up on the fridge, Halland was already earning his 'Terminator' moniker.
Even at age 5, he was training for various sports. It was this training that led to Erling managing to get a world record in the standing jump. On the 22nd of January 2006, Haaland jumped a whopping 1.63 meters - at age 5!
Haaland could’ve played for England
It goes without saying that Haaland is the future of Norwegian football. It's a shame that the team didn’t qualify for the recent World Cup, as we could’ve seen exactly what Haaland can do against other top-tier national teams in big competitions.
But in an interesting twist, thanks to the fact he was born in Leeds, Haaland could've been eligible to join the English national team. Instead, Halland has made up his mind to emulate his father and play for Manchester City on a club level and Norway on a national level.
Haaland's idol is Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Plenty of big names come up on Haalands' inspiration list. Of course, you can find Messi and Ronaldo - but a name that pops up more often is Zlatan Ibrahimovich. Haaland even emulated his hero with the now-famous karate kick that secured the win for Manchester City against Haalands old club, Dortmund.
He had a strange yet fitting nickname as a child
Even though he’s still young, Haaland is an absolute unit in terms of physicality. He stands at 6’4 and towers over most players in the games he plays. This huge frame of his earned him the nickname ‘manchild’ by his teammates back when he was playing in the amateur leagues.
He once scored nine goals in a single game
Haaland has turned into a hat trick machine at Manchester City, so far scoring a hat trick in 6 games. But this seems like child's play when you compare the fact that he once scored nine goals in a single match!
During the U-20 World Cup, Haaland banged in 9 goals - three hat tricks - in a single game. To no one's surprise, He managed to walk away with the golden boot in that tournament.