“I don’t need this” – Erling Haaland distances himself from Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic comparisons
Manchester City star Erling Haaland insists that he will not crave the spotlight like other big names he has grown up looking at - namely Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Norway international said this in a conversation with Sky Sports ahead of his first Premier League game against West Ham United on Sunday (August 7).
Man City striker Erling Haaland addresses Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic comparisons #mcfc
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The 22-year-old former Borussia Dortmund striker arrived at the Etihad Stadium on a deal worth £51 million. Haaland had an incredible two seasons with the Bundesliga giants, scoring 86 goals in 89 matches across different competitions. However, the Norwegian has received a lot of criticism for missing easy goal-scoring opportunities in Manchester City's Community Shield loss against Liverpool.
Speaking ahead of the season opener, Haaland said he wants to put everything behind him. He added he wanted to start his first Premier League season with positivity and score as many goals as possible. He said via the Manchester Evening News:
"I don't need this [the spotlight, like Ronaldo or Ibrahimovic]. I love to have a joke on Instagram here and there but other than that I like to relax and have fun. Basically enjoy what I'm doing.'
"I'm a player that's hungry for goals, gives 100 per cent that wants to win every single game. As a person, I'm a quiet person, I love to laugh and have fun. But in the end, I'm a relaxed person."
Speaking about his decision to join City, Haaland said that the attraction of the Premier League was something he could not ignore. He said that competing in the toughest league influenced his decision too. He added:
"In the end it's about how your feeling is with a lot of things, how you feel. I'm looking forward to watching the stadiums, feeling the atmosphere, the rivalries. Fans against each other, it's something I like a lot.
"Also the feelings of the games, it will be tough, for sure, and it's the charming thing about the Premier League, it's the hardest competition. That's why it's the most popular league in the world.''
Cristiano Ronaldo sweats it out on the training ground ahead of Manchester United's season opener against Brighton
Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped a few training session pictures on Instagram. The Portuguese superstar is sweating it out after manager Erik ten Hag questioned his fitness.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to England a few days back, missing the club's entire pre-season friendly tour citing 'family issues'. Ronaldo started United's last pre-season match against Rayo Vallecano, however, he was substituted right before the start of the second half.
The Dutch manager has still not made it clear if Cristiano Ronaldo will be a part of the squad to play against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 7. There are still some questions over the Portugal international's fitness.