Norwegian Erling Haaland, Manchester City striker, spoke about the most prominent strikers who influenced him in his early career, revealing his own philosophy on scoring goals and developing his level.
Ibrahimovic is his first role model
Haaland told “TNT” Sports that he watched Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic a lot during his childhood.
He explained: “I used to watch him a lot when I was young. He was a Swedish player and very entertaining in the way he played.”
He added that he also followed Argentine Sergio Aguero by watching Manchester City matches, along with Dutchman Robin van Persie during his time in the English Premier League.
He pointed to van Persie’s exceptional season with Arsenal, when he scored 38 goals, emphasizing his remarkable finishing touch with his left foot.
He also praised English striker Jamie Vardy, describing his movements inside the penalty area as amazing.
Regarding his goal-scoring record with Manchester City, Haaland confirmed that he does not complicate things on the field.
He said: “I discovered that I am good at many things, don’t misunderstand me, sometimes recording can be easy.”
He added that passing the ball behind the defenders and running towards the goal is one of his favorite weapons, citing his goal against Galatasaray as a clear example, acknowledging his major role in creating the goal.
Haaland reveals his source of inspiration from the players
Haaland revealed that he has been watching the goals of French star Thierry Henry, confirming that he drew inspiration from his finishing style, in addition to being influenced by a number of other strikers.
He concluded by emphasizing the importance of enjoying football, saying that he played out of passion as a child, without overthinking training or technical details. He pointed out that enjoying the game naturally drives a player to improve.
He stressed that he was lucky to have a good talent, in addition to having supportive people around him, along with a mindset based on hard work and intensive training.
