“Say hello to Pep” - Real Madrid legend tells Erling Haaland after meeting in pre-season camp
Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland was recently spotted at Al-Nassr’s training camp in Spain, where he had the chance to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane. Haaland and his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, also had a warm exchange with another Real Madrid legend, Fernando Hierro.
Haaland, who had an outstanding pre-season in the United States with the English side, took a brief trip to Spain with his father. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, are currently on their European pre-season tour, having recently played Granada and suffering a 1-0 defeat.
During the visit, Haaland first met former Liverpool star Sadio Mane, with both showing mutual respect and inquiring about each other’s well-being. Hierro later joined the scene, and Alf-Inge Haaland was particularly excited to meet the Real Madrid icon, as he quickly requested for a picture with him.
On Al-Nassr’s Instagram account, Hierro is also seen asking for a picture with Alfie, with Erling taking on the role of photographer. Hierro then asked Haaland to pass on his regards to Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola.
"Say hello to Pep,” he said.
Despite the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Hierro and Guardiola have kept up a friendly relationship, having played together for Spain.
While Haaland continues to excel at Manchester City, Hierro remains a legend from his 14-year stint with Real Madrid, where he made over 600 appearances as both a center-back and defensive midfielder.
Erling Haaland’s Manchester City receive boost with return of several first-team players to training
Manchester City had a mixed pre-season in terms of preparations, as Pep Guardiola was without several of his senior players. While the youngsters and available senior players, including Haaland, impressed, there are uncertainties about how Guardiola will line up for the Community Shield clash against Manchester United on Saturday, August 10.
However, there is a significant boost, as senior players including Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, and new signing Savinho joined training on Tuesday ahead of the game against United. Meanwhile, English players Kyle Walker, John Stones, Phil Foden, and Spain’s Rodri are expected to return only after the first game.
Manchester City enter the season as favorites, but they will be without Julian Alvarez, who is set to join Atletico Madrid for a reported €95 million (including add-ons). It remains to be seen whether the club will replace the Argentina international, given their depth in his position, or if they will focus on strengthening the central midfield area, which they have been keen to improve.
Despite these changes, the reigning Premier League champions are expected to start the season strongly, as they aim to defend their title once again. They will begin their campaign with a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea (August 18), followed by their first home game against Ipswich Town (August 24).