Just over 5,600 people packed themselves into the Lublin Stadium in Poland on the 24th of May 2019 as the relatively new stadium was host to Norway and Honduras’ group stage clash in the under-20 FIFA World Cup.
A game that even the most dedicated of football fans wouldn’t be shunned for neglecting, but a fixture that beckoned the coming of something great.
The crowd of Norwegian fans would probably have recognised the name ‘Haaland’ on the starting XI from Alf-Inge, the successful Norwegian forward who played for Leeds United and Manchester City and represented his country at the 1994 World Cup.
‘The guy who got his leg snapped by Roy Keane? That’s his son?’
A question that would no doubt been muttered a few times by the supporters who were scattered across the not even half-full Lublin Stadium.
‘That’s nice. I wonder if he’s as good as his father’.
Norway found themselves without a point from their first two group stage matches, with very unconvincing performances so far and just the one goal.
This would change quickly. Cue the introduction of a ‘Alf-Inge Haaland’s son’.
The Scandinavian side would go on to score twelve, with nine of these coming from Alf-Inge’s son.
“It annoys me a little bit that I didn't score with my last kick of the game” noted the eighteen-year-old after his hattrick of hattricks, “I'll have to sit down and think a little bit about it and maybe I'll work out what happened”.
Fast forward over three years, and he is no longer ‘Alf-Inge Haaland’s son’.
He is Erling Haaland.
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“Disgusting to play against” - Haaland's Rise to the top
"I want to be the best. The dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds” remarked a sixteen-year-old Haaland.
Words and confidence beyond his years, but not dreams beyond his capabilities.
While his ambition to play for Leeds is yet to come to fruition, Haaland could well be on his way to becoming one of the best.
Having begun his career with his local club Bryne at just age five, Haaland came to prominence during his time at Molde under the guidance of future-Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
“He is disgusting to play against. He is going to be a very, very good footballer” stated Solskjær following Haaland’s first goal for Molde, just six minutes after coming off the bench.
His time with the Norwegian giants was a great success considering very young age, earning himself a move to the Austrian Bundesliga and into the Red Bull family at RB Salzburg.
It was here where he would begin to perk the interest of the rest of Europe with his goal scoring excellence.
He bagged sixteen goals in just fourteen games in the Austrian Bundesliga under the wing of future Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, including a couple of hattricks to tease his ruthlessness in front of goal.
But the big Norwegian really made waves across world football for his outstanding performances in the Champions League.
An Anfield-silencing goal to get Salzburg level, a double at home to Napoli and another hattrick against Genk got people talking, really talking.
“This is the craziest thing I’ve done in my life. This feeling in my body I never had before” says Haaland after his Champions League hattrick.
But things were only just beginning.
A move to one of Europe’s top teams was becoming as inevitable as Haaland’s goals, so his switch from Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund in December 2019 came as little surprise.
Many questioned his ability in one of Europe’s top leagues. Yes, he could do it for Salzburg in the league and yes, he could do it in the Champions League group stages, but could he handle this next step up?
You know the answer already.
Death, taxes and Haaland scoring a hattrick, the three seeming inevitabilities these days.
This is precisely how he got off the mark for his new club on his debut in just thirty-four minutes after coming off the bench against FC Augsburg.
He would go from strength to strength in the German Bundesliga, netting four goals in one game against Hertha Berlin in his first full season, scoring twice in the DFB Pokal final to help Dortmund lift the beautiful golden cup and an incredible scissor-kick in the Revierderby against Schalke all list among his domestic highlights for the Black and Yellows.
He continued his dominant goal scoring in the Champions League , netting twice against a strong Paris Saint Germain side with world-class players Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr among their ranks in his Dortmund Champions League debut in the first leg of the Round of 16.
Dortmund would lose the tie thanks to a 2-0 PSG win in the second leg, but the Norwegians’ quality was becoming unquestionable.
At this point, the footballing world ceased all doubt – Haaland was the real deal.
His brace to foil football’s young star-boy prodigy Mbappe began what many call the sports’ next big personal rivalry following Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In his two-and-a-half seasons at Dortmund, he netted eighty-six goals in eighty-nine games. Chuck in twenty-three assists to that as well and Haaland was already proving that he was ready for yet another step up.
Manchester City came calling.
Haaland’s move to the Premier League, again, seemed a risk to many but he keeps proving any doubters wrong. A double on his debut and already two hattricks (including a ‘perfect’ hattrick) to his name in his first six games in English football, Haaland’s meteoric rise seems just unstoppable.
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A “football freak” – How Haaland scores so much
“I think he’s kind of a bit of a football freak, like me”.
Pep Guardiola likening someone to himself could be one of the biggest compliments you could get in football. It also touches on Haaland’s intelligence, an element of his game that is often overlooked.
Haaland is able to score so many goals through his footballing intelligence and, of course, his natural physical ability.
He frequently makes curved runs in behind the defence, making sure that he keeps distance between himself and the defender. His natural speed and power allow him to get the better of the defence and his curved runs make his movement unpredictable and unstoppable.
His second goal against West Ham United earlier this season, for instance, shows all these qualities.
Haaland remains at least a foot behind West Ham’s centre backs, anticipating the Kevin De Bruyne pass. Haaland has already began accelerating and curving his run at this point, confusing the defence, and displaying the intelligence of his run.
As De Bruyne plays the pass, Haaland has already approached top speed before the West ham defence are even aware he’s made the run.
Haaland thus finds himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and possesses such precise and calculated finishing that most would bet their house on him converting and wouldn’t bat an eye in the process.
All the angles of Erling Haaland's second goal vs West Ham 💫 pic.twitter.com/rfZZgkXnQq
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 8, 2022
Of course, it helps having other world-class players like De Bruyne around you, but Haaland has been doing this throughout his career at all levels and in multiple countries.
Haaland also is intelligent with his movement within the box as he can manipulate defenders in order to make space in the six-yard area and provide himself easy goals.
It’s very easy to label him a ‘tap-in merchant’ with goals like this, but Haaland creates these chances through his intelligent play.
Against Crystal Palace, Haaland anticipates a De Bruyne cross from the right and makes a curved run within the box to shift Joachim Andersen away. The ball lofts over him, but he remains vigilant in the box.
He constantly shifts himself to-and-frow in the box, confusing the Palace defenders with his erratic and unpredictable movement that they don’t know who’s marking him.
This movement precedes Phil Foden’s subsequent cross, with Haaland anticipating the ball back into the danger area and gets himself into the right area to easily nod home the cross.
It's worth watching @IlkayGuendogan for Haaland’s first goal against Crystal Palace. Before Foden’s cross, Gündogan scan, so he knows there is space behind him, but he doesn’t attack the space cause he knows @ErlingHaaland will arrive there. pic.twitter.com/ZQRd3Lda3J
— Frk9 (@99_frk) September 2, 2022
Both goals looked ‘easy’ chances, but they would not have existed if not for Haaland’s intelligent movement and positioning as well as his raw natural ability.
Haaland also operates almost exclusively within the width of the six-yard box, the most dangerous area to play as it is the most likely area to score.
If the almighty creator decided to form the perfect striker, it may very well be Erling Haaland himself.
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Haaland's Honesty
Often just giving one word answers to pundits' questions, often swearing when he shouldn't and showing the brutal honesty that can only be justified with his talent, the Norwegian's personality adds another dimension to the enigma that is Erling Haaland.
Football players are mostly well media-trained and always say the right things: 'Great performance from the team', 'We go again next week', 'Thank you to the supporters, you were amazing', and so on and so on.
Haaland smashes this stereotype with the same almighty force as he plays football, not hiding an inch of his personality or his thoughts.
In a post-match interview following a Dortmund win in the Champions League, Haaland answered questions drinking from an official Dortmund sippy-cup.
If most of us did this, we may come across arrogant and dismissive; Haaland comes across charming and endearing.
Haaland provides a breath of fresh air in the age of the almost scripted post-match interviews.
Erling Haaland will get the hang of post-match interviews eventually 🤣 pic.twitter.com/JUBU6I2nOG
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 7, 2022
While his interviews and press conferences has no meaning or in terms of his on-field performances, it gives us a glimpse into his mind.
Unforgiving, honest and directy to the point - just like his football.
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How far can Haaland go?
Still only twenty-two years old, Haaland is very clearly one of the most elite and talented football players in the world already.
Goal scoring prowess, intelligent movement and now playing for one of Europe's elite sides, the sky is the limit.
He is a player constantly looking to improve, constantly thinking he can be better. He has the making, the biology and the attitude to become one of the sports' all time greats.
"What do you need to be better at?", asked Geoff Shreeves to Haaland after signing for City.
"Everthing, man. Everything".