Erling Haaland (22) is a miracle of nature. Already more than 200 professional goals on the counter and off the field apparently an anti-superstar. What is the secret of the phenomenon? A tip: never ask him that question or he will get grim. The success formula cannot be explained in a few sentences. That’s why this extensive story about his body, mind, choices and… lasagna with milk.
His upbringing: family, sports and facilities
Born to score?
Well, cut Erling Haaland and he’ll bleed top sport anyway. The Norwegian has the will to win in his DNA through father and mother.
Papa Alfie was one of the most successful Norwegian players this century, including at Leeds and Manchester City. Mama Gry Marita was crowned national champion in the prestigious heptathlon.
During the upbringing of Haaland, they (unconsciously) created a perfect climate to excel later on. That was confirmed by the English newspaper The Telegraph even with some scientific studies.
Element 1: The youngest child of a family often has the best chance of a great sports career, because they compete early against stronger “adversaries”. Haaland also invariably played football with his sister Gabrielle and five years older brother Astor, who, as the eldest son, felt the pressure of the surname the most.
Element 2: Haaland did not limit himself to football in his youth – crucial to develop into a versatile athlete. The blonde head also practiced skiing, tennis, golf, handball and athletics.
Did you know that Haaland even has an (unofficial) world record to his name? No 5-year-old ever jumped further from a standstill than Haaland (163 centimeters).
Haaland’s unofficial world record is still in the tables.
Element 3: Haaland grew up in the humble place of Bryne. In 2005, the city council decided to build a covered indoor hall for the youth, so that they could continue playing football during the freezing Norwegian winters.
Just in time for Haaland not to miss any “training hours” during his prime years of development. According to research, those informal parties with friends, such as in the banlieues of Paris, are more important than strict workouts.
His body: colossus due to late growth spurt
195 centimeters and 88 kilos dry on the hook.
Erling Braut Haaland is a behemoth that strikes fear into any opponent. Due to his impressive body, the striker cannot be put away in the duels and he is a constant threat in the air.
More remarkable is that Haaland is also very explosive, despite his heavy constitution. But some impressive thighs – remember the long jump record – propel him forward.
Oddly enough, Haaland hasn’t always been a muscle.
In Norway they even called him “the spaghetti string” for a long time because of his thin legs. The record shooter also had to wait until the age of 15 for a significant growth spurt of more than 10 centimeters.
“That was a good thing for his career”, his youth coach Alf Ingve Berntsen once assured in an interview. “As a teenager he had to be smart in the box to create chances, he couldn’t put opponents away because they were bigger.”
Once the hormones started to do their job, Haaland was – in addition to tactical / technical – also physically unstoppable. At Dortmund he also gained 12 kilograms of muscle mass in a good year.
The Terminator what born.
Erling Haaland hasn’t always been a muscle pack.
His choices: not skipping any steps
Choices can make or break a career.
At Haaland, transfers have always been considered and thought through, never guesswork to get rich quick. Without skipping steps towards the top.
After his debut for Bryne, club under his church tower, Haaland moved towards Norwegian top club Molde. A smart decision, because with Ole Gunnar Solskjær, one of the best Norwegian strikers ever was at the helm.
Van Solksjaer teaches Haaland the tricks of the trade. His head game, for example, was still below average. “We worked on it in training for two years,” Haaland said. “First I never hit the ball well, now I score a lot of header goals.”
In 2019, half of Europe is already behind the teenage phenomenon with crazy numbers. Nevertheless, the striker goes to Austria, where master trainer Red Bull Salzburg wants to give him wings.
The trumps? A team that is known for dominant football, opportunities for youth and plays the Champions League. After an adjustment period, Haaland shoots sharply again – Racing Genk, among others, collects a hat trick on its debut at the champions ball.
Erling Haaland in the shirt of Red Bull Salzburg.
Once again, the list of interested parties is getting longer.
Every European superpower is there, but Haaland actually opts for sub-topper Borussia Dortmund. He is sure of his place there and they don’t make a fuss about a striking contract clause.
The now-deplored super broker Mino Raiola demands that his client can leave in 2022 for a fixed amount. You could say a lot about the Dutchman, but not that he didn’t understand football.
Raiola absolutely wants to avoid a difficult exit from Dortmund – an intermediate station in the striker’s career. Given the inflation of the transfer prices, a realistic scenario.
And look, in 2022, Manchester City will benefit by snatching Haaland for “barely” 60 million euros. After the intermediate stations, finally the jump to an absolute top club.
Rethought: at his father’s former club, the administrative, sporting and financial stability prevails to be able to generate an immediate return.
United (unrest), Liverpool (no supply), Chelsea (unrest bis) and Barcelona (money issues)?
Not worth the gamble.
His habits: a lucky lasagna and blue light filter
Sleep, eat, score, repeat.
Haaland is a man of routine. He not only hits the target with the regularity of the clock, but also likes fixed patterns off the field.
Inspired by his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, Haaland does everything he can to live like a super pro. Telling is an amusing anecdote from his father.
He wanted to celebrate the historic hat-trick against Genk with a drink, but his son thanked him kindly and went to the training complex for rehabilitation exercises at 1 am.
Also a recurring topic of discussion: the eating habits of the Norwegian.
For example, Haaland caused a sensation by proclaiming in a documentary that he follows a “Hannibal Lecter diet” of 6,000 calories a day, with hearty portions of cow heart and liver.
“It is said that meat is bad for you … but then I ask the question: what meat? The meat you get at McDonald’s or that of the local cow eating grass on a pasture?”
In addition, before every match, Haaland swears by his father’s “lucky lasagne”, drinks purified water and liters of milk.
Remarkably often, Haaland is also spotted with a carrot in his mouth, although friends assure that he sometimes dares to sin with a kebab.
On the left his father’s “lucky lasagna”, in the middle with his “magic potion” and on the right with a carrot.
Finally, Haaland firmly believes in a good night’s sleep. There is probably no footballer in the world who has so many pictures in his pajamas on his Instagram account – we easily count 10.
In the run-up to a match, the Norwegian invariably goes to bed around 10 p.m. Beforehand, he usually puts on glasses with a blue light filter and switches off the phone.
“Sleep well is perhaps the most important thing in my life,” he once said.
Haaland is also one believer in meditation techniques – hence his celebration in lotus position after goals. “It helps me to get rid of negative thoughts,” says the Norwegian.
The striker believes that football is mainly a mental game. By creating peace in his head, he is sharper at the crucial moments.
“I’m always thinking on the field,” he once said in an interview. “I want to be smarter than my opponents.”
Do you understand why Haaland hates the question about his goal secret?
