Erling Haaland’s time with the national team lies between BVB and Manchester City. He plays three games in the Nations League with Norway. But the press conference is more about him personally. He gives an insight into his inner life.
Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland has, in his own words, had a difficult time. “These were tough months, it wasn’t easy,” said the 21-year-old at a press conference for the Norwegian national team in Oslo. The attacker, who switched from Borussia Dortmund to English champions Manchester City, will meet Serbia, twice Sweden and Slovenia in the Nations League.
Above all, the death of his advisor Mino Raiola at the end of April hit him hard. “It was very difficult. It made things different. You can imagine what I went through, it was a bit of everything,” said the visibly moved Haaland: “But I won’t complain, I like my life.”
At the same time, he emphasized that he had given everything for Dortmund despite the fuss about his transfer. “It wasn’t easy. But I did what I could for Dortmund for two and a half years,” said the striker. He was able to hide the speculation about his move well: “I want to focus on football and hide everything else, even if it’s a plumber who comes to my house the next day. I’m good at hiding things and focus on one Thing to focus on: performance on the pitch.”
The 21-year-old did not want to talk about his future employer, which Haaland is expected to present in mid-June, “out of respect” for City, as national coach Stale Solbakken explained before Haaland’s appearance. He also left unanswered the question of whether his move to a club sponsored by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi was part of the much-criticized “sportswashing”.
On the other hand, he “gladly” spoke about the Nations League – and thus earned laughter in the hall. He is injury-free, very motivated and “tremendously happy,” he said. In the spring he was injured for weeks and was absent from BVB. On Monday evening, he and his colleagues had to visit Norway’s King Harald V.
