Manchester City fans just can’t get enough of Erling Haaland, who’s not only leading his side to a potential treble but is also winning hearts with his off-pitch antics.
The Norwegian helped the Sky Blues pile on more pressure on first-placed Arsenal by scoring a brace in City’s 3-1 win over Leicester City. Over the weekend, he was trending for getting equalling Mo Salah‘s Premier League record, and on Monday, he was in the spotlight for his hilarious impression of John Stones, who scored the opener at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
In a viral video shared by Sky Sports Premier League’s Twitter page, Haaland is sitting alongside Stones and Ilkay Gundogan, discussing some of their favorite places to travel in the world.
In the midst of this, the English defender mentioned the Louvre. The museum houses the heritage of French history. The Norway international, with the German midfielder, mocked Stones’ pronunciation of the famed museum by mimicking his Yorkshire accent.
Akin to his precious ability to find the back of the net, Haaland’s impression of Stones was spot on, and it’s understandable if you consider his background. The 22-year-old is himself a Yorkshire boy. He was born in Leeds, a city in West Yorkshire. During that time, his father, Alfie Haaland, played for Leeds United before moving to Manchester City. The family later returned to Norway.
The importance of his goals can’t be overstated, but it is moments like these that truly make players a fan-favorite. No wonder Haaland is cherished by the City faithful.
Pep Guardiola’s recent comments regarding Haaland’s fitness and management suggest the Spaniard and his staff are equally attentive to the Norwegian.
“I don’t know what he’s done in Dortmund but we take care of him 24 hours. We have incredible doctors and physios, they are behind him every second of the day. It’s difficult to understand why you spend a lot of money [on a player] and then leave them – [again] I don’t know what the other clubs do,” the Spaniard said.
City return to action on Wednesday to face Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. The Premier League outfit will head into the game with a 3-0 advantage. Both Haaland (one goal and one assist) and Stones (one assist) were among the goals during the Etihad fixture.
Having already lifted the Bayern curse with his first win in eight games, the former Borussia Dortmund striker will hope to further improve his record against the German giants with more goals and another win.
Going into the all-important fixture, both the results and the atmosphere behind the scenes favor City. The interaction between Haaland and Stones shows just how good things are in the dressing room at City. While the altercation between Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane post-City defeat last Tuesday paints a completely different picture of the mood in Thomas Tuchel’s squad. The former Liverpool striker will have a lot to prove following his return to action after a one-match suspension.
