Haaland Erling
Erling Braut Haaland is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays 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 and the greatest Norwegian player of all time, he is known for his speed, strength, positioning, and finishing inside the box. Haaland began his senior career with Norwegian clubs Bryne and Molde before signing in 2019 for Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup. His performances in the UEFA Champions League earned him a move in 2020 to Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, where he won the DFB-Pokal in 2021 and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season. In 2022, Haaland joined Manchester City for a fee of €60 million (£51.2 million) and played a pivotal role in the club’s treble-winning debut season, becoming only the second English club to achieve the feat. He finished as the top scorer in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, setting records for the most goals in a Premier League season and the most goals by a Premier League player in all competitions in a single season. At City, he has won two Premier League titles and three Premier League Golden Boots. Haaland’s individual honours include the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, the IFFHS World’s Best Player and the Golden Boy awards, while he also finished runner-up for the Ballon d’Or. He is the only player to win the awards for Premier League Young Player and Player of the Season in the same season. He is also the quickest Premier League player to score eight hat-tricks. He was included in the FIFPRO World 11 for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Haaland represented Norway at the youth level, winning the Golden Boot at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he scored a record nine goals in a single match. He made his senior international debut for Norway in 2019, and has since scored 62 goals in 54 appearances, making him Norway’s all-time top goalscorer. Haaland is the sixth player to reach 50 international goals in under 50 appearances, doing so in 46 games. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Haaland helped Norway reach the quarter-finals—the nation’s best-ever World Cup finish—scoring seven goals.
Did you Know?
These boots were worn by Erling Haaland during the season 2023/2024 with Manchester City F.C. A prolific goalscorer who has been regarded as one of the leading players of his generation, Haaland is often described as a complete centre forward. He uses his sizeable frame to hold play up effectively and involve others. He has the pace and clever movement to run in behind, he can dribble and create, and he can finish with both feet and his head. He usually comes deep to collect the ball to help his team build play, often looking to spread the ball wide for a teammate, before turning and sprinting towards goal. He sometimes comes too deep for the defenders to follow him; as such he has the awareness to turn on the ball and create from a forward-facing position. In the penalty area he makes small, sharp movements to spot an opportunity for a teammate to attempt to find him in space, and can change the line on which he is running and accelerate into that space, making him extremely difficult for defenders to read. Haaland uses his body well when playing with his back to goal, protecting the ball effectively as he tries to bring it under control. He uses his strength to secure possession when under pressure and is also effective in providing his team’s defenders with some respite following a clearance. His creativity is most apparent when he drifts into the left inside channel. His primary aim is always to get a shot off, but he also has the vision and skill to pick out a delayed run from midfield in the centre. His ability to carry the ball at pace also helps create for others, especially on the counter-attack. Even though he is less involved in possession than a typical striker, his calmness, patience, timing, and off-the-ball movement have a huge impact in build-up plays.
