Millions of football fans are looking at him tonight: Manchester City star Erling Haaland (22) is playing in the Champions League quarterfinals against Bayern Munich and is more in focus than most of his colleagues due to his exceptional talent. Five fun facts about the Norwegian soccer pro..
During training, Haaland appeared shortly before the Bayern game with braids – and promptly drew a lot of ridicule on the internet. Fans compared him to Greta Thunberg (20) and said he looked “like a nine-year-old girl”. He usually wears his shoulder-length, light blonde hair tied up in a bun when he plays football.
Haaland’s father, ex-professional Alf-Inge Haaland (50), once told journalists that his son followed the same diet as his great role model Cristiano Ronaldo (38). This includes lots of chicken and still water. Carbonated drinks are strictly forbidden.
In January 2006, Erling Haaland took part in a long jump competition and managed an incredible 1.63 meters from a standing start. That is still the world record for five-year-olds to this day.
The 22-year-old likes to listen to the famous Champions League anthem at full volume while driving, and he even has the song as his alarm clock melody. Haaland once confirmed: “It’s the only song that will never annoy me.”
In 2016 he founded the rap band “Flow Kingz” with two friends in his native Norway. A video of the band can be seen on YouTube, which has already been clicked over nine million times. It obviously wasn’t enough for a great hip-hop career, but his fans still enjoy watching the song “Kygo jo” – albeit often with a smile on their face.
