Erling Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, has explained why his son rejected a summer transfer move to Real Madrid and signed for Manchester City.
Haaland was the most-wanted player on the transfer market heading into the summer.
Almost every major club in Europe was interested in the Norwegian, but eventually, it turned into a three-horse race in 2022 between Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Haaland eventually agreed to sign a five-year contract with the Premier League champions, with Pep Guardiola’s side activating the €60 million fee in his Borussia Dortmund contract.
Asked why Haaland joined Man City ahead of other top clubs, Alf-Inge said in the ‘Haaland: The Choice’ documentary for ViaPlay, “We had established a first criterion which was: ‘who needs a No. 9?’ Manchester City had 10/10 at this level, it was the perfect option.
“Real, we gave him more of a 5 or a 6 out of 10 because that is the way Karim Benzema currently plays. And we wondered if they were also going to sign Mbappe.”