“Didn’t bring me in to win the Premier League" - Manchester City star Erling Haaland makes bold statement after magnificent performance in the UCL
Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland made a confident claim after bagging a five-goal haul against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg clash at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, March 14. Haaland stated that the Cityzens didn't buy him to win the Premier League. Rather, the Norwegian said that he was brought in to hand the club success in the UEFA Champions League.
Speaking after his spectacular performance in the 7-0 win against the Bundesliga club, Haaland said (via Mirror):
“They didn’t bring me in to win the Premier League, because they already know how to win it. So you can read between the lines. I’m here to try to help the club develop even more and to win the Champions League for the first time.”
Erling Haaland was signed for €52 million last summer from Borussia Dortmund and has since been on a goalscoring spree. He has scored 39 goals in 36 matches across competitions. Haaland has scored 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League in five games.
Manchester City have been the most dominant team in English football in recent times, winning four Premier League titles in the last five seasons. However, they haven't been able to win the UEFA Champions League, with a runners-up finish in 2021 their best result.
Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland reacts to scoring five goals in the UEFA Champions League
Erling Haaland became only the second player in the history of the UEFA Champions League (other than Lionel Messi) to score five goals in a match.
Understandably, the former Red Bull Salzburg striker was super happy with his feat. Speaking after the match, Haaland said:
“The feeling is amazing, It’s a statement to the tournament, a tournament I love. A statement that we can actually score seven goals. It’s an easy thing to say, but I could’ve scored more goals. I missed a lot of chances. But the chances kept coming."
He further added:
“In the first-half I could have scored more. I had one with the goalkeeper and I could have had two more in the first-half, so there were possibilities. In my mind, I always have to reach for more and stay hungry. Maybe somebody, if they score five goals, they are happy."
Manchester City demolished RB Leipzig 8-1 on aggregate over two legs, thanks to Erling Haaland's heroics.