Erling Haaland followed in his father’s footsteps by joining Manchester City but has now outdone him by claiming a Premier League title – which he was more than happy to point out
Erling Haaland has poked fun at his father after he claimed his first Premier League title – achieving something Alf-Inge couldn’t.
Both men have played for Manchester City, but the 22-year-old has already achieved far more than his father with his outfit continuing their Premier League dominance. Arsenal’s defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday meant Pep Guardiola’s side knew they’d retained their title before their game with Chelsea.
A much changed side won 1-0 against the Blues and later lifted the trophy to celebrate their third successive title – and a fifth in six years. It is Haaland’s first following his move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer with several goalscoring records in the top flight already claimed.
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The prolific forward embraced his father during the celebrations before telling Viaplay: “We enjoy this together, the whole family, especially dad. This is not something you experience every day, so it must be enjoyed. Now I can finally say that I have won one Premier League more than him. It is not wrong to have that on your CV.”
City have now claimed one third of a possible treble with the FA Cup final to come on June 3 and the Champions League final seven days later. Haaland was ready to enjoy their league success, but admitted they will have to switch on quickly. “Tonight we celebrate before we focus on the next trophy,” he added.
Haaland was named on the bench with his understudy, Julian Alvarez, scoring the winner for City as his first-half strike proved decisive. The Norwegian has already beaten the single-season goal record, telling Sky Sports: “Debut season, 36 goals so far, Premier League trophy and two finals left – not a bad start.”
Erling Haaland celebrated with his father ( Image: Viaplay)
He went on to say: “These are memories I will remember for the rest of my life. We’ve been fighting so hard and honestly I don’t know what to say – I didn’t plan anything to say! It’s special. I’m just gonna enjoy this day. This is a so special moment with the trophy and all the players and the whole club. Without the club and my teammates it would not be possible. Amazing.”
Haaland has come into a team that had previously claimed their most recent league titles by playing a false 9 system. The addition of a striker though has given them another dimension and bolsters their chances of finally claiming the Champions League.
Captain Ilkay Gundogan said on the forward: “Our game with Erling changes. We have someone in there who most of the time is able to attract a couple of centre backs so most of the time that gives us one extra man in our build-up, which is always what we’re looking for and crucial to our type of football.”