Erling Haaland gave a big interview to Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
IMAGO/Sportimage
In the podcast “The Rest Is Football”, Erling Haaland talks about his childhood, the move to Manchester City, the role of Pep Guardiola – and why simple goals make him the happiest.
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- Erling Haaland describes his journey from golfing kid to world-class striker in the podcast “The Rest Is Football”.
- The Norwegian sees his role at City clearly: scoring goals – under constant pressure to perform.
- His respect for coach Pep Guardiola and his love of football also shape his private life.
Erling Haaland once again set a Premier League record in Manchester City’s 5-4 win over Fulham at the beginning of December, scoring his 100th league goal in his 111th appearance. Alan Shearer previously needed 124 league appearances to score the anniversary goal, while Harry Kane needed 141 games to score his 100th goal in England’s top flight.
The City superstar was a guest on the podcast “The Rest Is Football”. Host Gary Lineker wants to know from the Norwegian how he felt when he snatched the record from his co-host Shearer: “Of course I had known for some time that it was possible to break the 100-goal mark,” said Haaland. Otherwise, he doesn’t think much about records, he only knows one: the mark of 260 goals in the Premier League – which is (still) held by Shearer.
Haaland has been scoring goals for the Citizens for three and a half years. He was under contract at Dortmund from 2020 to 2022. “The Premier League is more physical than the Bundesliga,” he emphasizes. However, the man-to-man duels appeal to him: “Because of my father, I’m a bit old-fashioned in many ways. I like the charming things like running and tackling. I’ve followed the Premier League since I was a kid. You’ll never see me playing with gloves on either. That’s because my father wouldn’t have allowed it,” smiles Haaland, indicating an imaginary slap in the face. His father Alf-Inge also played for Manchester City from 2000 to 2003.
“His biggest dream was for me to become a professional golfer, so I played golf every week from 10 to 13. I also played handball, football and decathlon (Haaland’s mother was a heptathlete – editor’s note),” recalls Haaland. “My ambition was to become the best footballer in the world – and that has driven me ever since I was a child.”
Game currently a little more vertical
He also made the switch to the Skyblues because he wanted to prove something to star coach Pep Guardiola: “Pep sometimes played without a striker – he loves to hold the ball up. ‘So I imagined I’d come to City, Ederson (ex-City goalkeeper) would knock the ball forward and I’d run out and score a goal. Breaking up the game a bit was a motivation for me to show Pep that you can also play directly and not just pass the ball.”
The conversation with the Spaniard before the transfer was short and sweet, Haaland recalls. “We want to show great football and that you score a lot of goals,” Guardiola teased him. Nowadays, the ball is sometimes passed a little faster than before in order to create more space. That tends to suit him, says Haaland.
Two football freaks: Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola.
Imago
The biggest compliment in his job as a striker is when people say: “Ah another clearance, another easy goal.” Haaland’s explanation: “The easiest goals are the best, because it’s the hardest to score. And if you can do it the easy way, that’s even better. Of course, most goals are scored inside the penalty area or the five-meter area. So you have to position yourself perfectly – and that’s really difficult.”
His task is clear: “I’m a City striker. I have to score goals. If I don’t, they have to replace me, so I’m under a lot of pressure to perform and do my job.”
Being mentally ready in a game helps him the most. “If you only drop a few percent, that can be enough. Because when you least expect it, it usually happens.”
Haaland hates offside
Haaland was recently stopped by the linesman again in the league (in an away game) after more than two years without an offside. “The worst thing I know is being offside. Because then you have no chance of scoring a goal,” he sums up.
1st Cristiano Ronaldo: 140 goals. Clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus Turin.
2. Lionel Messi: 129 goals. Clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona.
3. Robert Lewandowski: 105 goals. Clubs: FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund.
4. Karim Benzema: 90 goals. Clubs: Al-Ittihad, Real Madrid, Olympique Lyon.
5. Raúl González Blanco: 71 goals. Clubs: FC Schalke, Real Madrid.
6. Kylian Mbappé: 64 goals. Clubs: Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco.
6. Thomas Müller: 57 goals. Club: FC Bayern Munich.
8. Ruud van Nistelrooy: 56 goals. Clubs: Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven.
9. Erling Haaland: 54 goals. Clubs: Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Salzburg.
10. Thierry Henry: 50 goals. Clubs: FC Barcelona, FC Arsenal, AS Monaco, FC Arsenal.
11. Mohamed Salah: 48 goals. Clubs: Liverpool, AS Roma, Chelsea, FC Basel.
11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 48 goals. Clubs: Milan, Manchester United (editor’s note: no goals), Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus Turin, Ajax Amsterdam.
11. Andriy Shevchenko: 48 goals. Clubs: Dynamo Kiev, Chelsea, AC Milan.
14. Filippo Inzaghi: 46 goals. Clubs: AC MIlan, Juventus Turin.
15. Harry Kane: 45 goals. Clubs: Bayern Munich, Tottenham.
16. Didier Drogba: 44 goals. Clubs: Galatasaray, Chelsea, Marseille.
17. Antoine Griezmann: 43 goals. Atlético Madrid, Barcelona.
17th Neymar: 43 goals. Clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona.
19. Alessandro Del Piero: 42 goals. Club: Juventus Turin.
20. Sergio Agüero: 41 goals. Clubs: FC Barcelona (editor’s note: no goals), Manchester City, Atlético Madrid.
21. Edinson Cavani: 35 goals. Clubs: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli.
22nd Fernando Morientes: 33 goals. Clubs: Marseille (editor’s note: no goals), Valencia, Liverpool, Real Madrid, AS Monaco.
23. Arjen Robben: 31 goals. Clubs: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSV Eindhoven.
24. Kakà: 30 goals. Clubs: Real Madrid, AC Milan.
24. Wayne Rooney: 30 goals. Club: Manchester United.
24. Samuel Eto’o: 30 goals. Chelsea, Inter, Barcelona, Mallorca.
The Champions League record goalscorers
1st Cristiano Ronaldo: 140 goals. Clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus Turin.
2. Lionel Messi: 129 goals. Clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona.
3. Robert Lewandowski: 105 goals. Clubs: FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund.
4. Karim Benzema: 90 goals. Clubs: Al-Ittihad, Real Madrid, Olympique Lyon.
5. Raúl González Blanco: 71 goals. Clubs: FC Schalke, Real Madrid.
6. Kylian Mbappé: 64 goals. Clubs: Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco.
6. Thomas Müller: 57 goals. Club: FC Bayern Munich.
8. Ruud van Nistelrooy: 56 goals. Clubs: Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven.
9. Erling Haaland: 54 goals. Clubs: Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Salzburg.
10. Thierry Henry: 50 goals. Clubs: FC Barcelona, FC Arsenal, AS Monaco, FC Arsenal.
11. Mohamed Salah: 48 goals. Clubs: Liverpool, AS Roma, Chelsea, FC Basel.
11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 48 goals. Clubs: Milan, Manchester United (editor’s note: no goals), Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus Turin, Ajax Amsterdam.
11. Andriy Shevchenko: 48 goals. Clubs: Dynamo Kiev, Chelsea, AC Milan.
14. Filippo Inzaghi: 46 goals. Clubs: AC MIlan, Juventus Turin.
15. Harry Kane: 45 goals. Clubs: Bayern Munich, Tottenham.
16. Didier Drogba: 44 goals. Clubs: Galatasaray, Chelsea, Marseille.
17. Antoine Griezmann: 43 goals. Atlético Madrid, Barcelona.
17th Neymar: 43 goals. Clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona.
19. Alessandro Del Piero: 42 goals. Club: Juventus Turin.
20. Sergio Agüero: 41 goals. Clubs: FC Barcelona (editor’s note: no goals), Manchester City, Atlético Madrid.
21. Edinson Cavani: 35 goals. Clubs: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli.
22nd Fernando Morientes: 33 goals. Clubs: Marseille (editor’s note: no goals), Valencia, Liverpool, Real Madrid, AS Monaco.
23. Arjen Robben: 31 goals. Clubs: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSV Eindhoven.
24. Kakà: 30 goals. Clubs: Real Madrid, AC Milan.
24. Wayne Rooney: 30 goals. Club: Manchester United.
24. Samuel Eto’o: 30 goals. Chelsea, Inter, Barcelona, Mallorca.
The 25-year-old has now scored 54 goals (in 53 games) in the Champions League – including a five-goal haul (2023 against Leipzig), in which Guardiola took Haaland off the pitch after 57 minutes. “Of course I wanted to score a sixth goal,” admits the attacker. Nevertheless, he will never cause problems if he has to come off, Haaland emphasizes. It’s also impossible to play 80 games in a season, sums up Haaland, who qualified for the World Cup with Norway.
Last season went less well for Man City. The usually successful star team failed early on in the Champions League (defeat to Real in the last 16 play-off) and also missed out on the league title in third place. Haaland believes that injuries on the one hand and mental fatigue after the many previous titles on the other were the decisive factors. After the departure of key players such as Kevin de Bruyne and Ederson, the team also needed time to regroup.
Haaland, who signed a new 10-year contract with City last year until the summer of 2034, is certainly part of the transition. “I’m really happy here. It’s a good place to develop – England is a football country and I think it’s the best place to play.”
“Guardiola is a genius”
He is also a great supporter of Guardiola: “I think he’s a kind of genius. But what really impressed me was his hard work. He works harder than anyone else. He’s the hardest worker at the club. He’s the first to come and the last to go.” Together with his passion for football, Haaland is certain that this is the secret behind the 54-year-old’s success.
Of course, Haaland is also a big football fan. His partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen sometimes suffers from this. The two have also been parents since the end of 2024. “We were having dinner recently and I checked to see if any games were on – Man United were playing West Ham, which I turned on.”
“My girlfriend complained: ‘I’m so sick of football. We watch it all the time’. And I said, ‘That’s the reason we’re sitting here’. And then, of course, we watched it,” smiles Haaland.
You can find out whether Haaland will also score against Real Madrid away from home at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday live on blue Sport from 9pm.
