Erling Haaland is a Norwegian professional footballer who serves as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Norway national team.
Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Haaland is renowned for his speed, strength, positioning, and finishing abilities in the penalty area.
Early life
Haaland was born on 21 July 2000 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, where his father, Alfie Haaland, was playing for Leeds United in the Premier League at the time. In 2004, when he was three, the family moved to Bryne, his parents’ hometown in Norway. As a child, Haaland was involved in various sports besides football, including handball, golf, and track and field. Notably, at the age of five in 2006, he reportedly set a world record in his age category for the standing long jump with a distance of 1.63 meters.
Career
Starting his football journey in Bryne’s academy at five, Haaland swiftly impressed, showcasing his scoring abilities with Bryne FK 2, netting 18 goals in 14 matches during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He made his senior debut for Bryne FK and later moved to Molde, where he continued to shine, earning attention from clubs like Red Bull Salzburg and eventually Borussia Dortmund.
His tenure at Dortmund was marked by numerous records and achievements, including becoming the fastest player in Bundesliga history to reach certain goal-scoring milestones. His prolific form also attracted interest from top clubs across Europe, leading to his eventual move to Manchester City.
At Manchester City, Haaland wasted no time in making an impact, scoring prolifically and helping the team secure titles. His performances earned him individual accolades and further cemented his status as one of the world’s top strikers. His consistency in finding the back of the net continued, setting new records and milestones along the way, showcasing his remarkable talent and potential to dominate European football for years to come.
Haaland has represented Norway at various youth levels, showcasing his talent and goal-scoring prowess. Notably, he scored a memorable hat-trick against Scotland in March 2018, securing Norway’s qualification to the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. At the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he made headlines by netting nine goals in a single match against Honduras, setting a new tournament record and earning the Golden Boot despite Norway’s elimination in the group stage.
Despite being eligible to play for England due to his birth in Leeds, Haaland expressed his desire to represent Norway. He made his senior debut in September 2019 and quickly made an impact, scoring his first international goal against Austria in the UEFA Nations League. Haaland’s prolific scoring continued, including a memorable hat-trick against Romania in a Nations League match. He further solidified his status as a top striker with impressive performances in World Cup qualification matches, finishing as the joint-top scorer in the UEFA Nations League. Haaland’s consistent goal-scoring exploits culminated in him becoming Norway’s second-highest all-time top scorer after netting a brace against Cyprus in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
Personal life
Haaland, the son of former Norwegian footballer Alfie Haaland and former women’s heptathlon athlete Gry Marita Braut, expressed his aspiration to win the Premier League with Leeds in a 2017 interview with Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. His cousins, Jonatan Braut Brunes and Albert Tjåland, are also professional footballers. Apart from his football career, Haaland practices meditation. In 2016, he, along with his Norway under-17 teammates Erik Botheim and Erik Tobias Sandberg, released a single titled “Kygo jo” under the group name Flow Kingz, which garnered millions of views on YouTube.
Net Worth
Undisclosed