Erling Haaland looks and sounds every inch Manchester City’s star attraction
By Sam Lee
Manchester City fans have more to celebrate than most. Between all the trophies and wonderful football, it’s hard to feel too sorry for them.
But top-level football is a strange business. Title races aren’t especially enjoyable, especially with Liverpool breathing down your neck, and if you’re lucky enough to see them off — and what a way City did so on the final day — you’ve probably got about a week to celebrate it.
Soon enough, it’s time to argue with strangers on the internet and worry about transfers. Before you know it the season has started and Liverpool are breathing down your neck again.
So what a nice midsummer afternoon at the Etihad it was on Sunday. Now that transfers are such a big part of football, why not celebrate them? And so City unveiled their summer signings to date — minus the ill Kalvin Phillips — in front of a big crowd on a scorching day that acts as a reminder that life, and football, isn’t always so bad.
The fact that City have four signings in place, a day before they begin pre-season, is impressive in its own right — as another Manchester club could testify.
But Erling Haaland was inevitably the big story. That’s no slight on Phillips, Julian Alvarez or Stefan Ortega; Haaland is the main attraction for the whole Premier League now, such is his ability and reputation.
Haaland 9 shirts were easy to spot, sported by children and adults alike (the new orange goalkeeper shirt also seems to be a hit with the kids), and the loudest cheers of the afternoon were reserved for the big Norwegian.
It was only a year ago that City were trying to sign Harry Kane, yet a certain number of supporters openly wished that the whole thing could be pushed back a year and Haaland come instead. He was so good, and so sought after, it just didn’t seem possible at the time.
And now he’s here. Or “he’s here and he’s perfect,” as Kim Kardashian once tweeted about the birth of her son.
Haaland looked every inch the star attraction up on the stage and in all the pictures, towering over the hosts and Alvarez himself. It’s hard not to have presence at 6ft 4in but he does wear it well, the physical and the footballing stature.
There were plenty of Jack Grealish shirts in the crowd too, and that’s a much-needed reminder that talking well and endearing yourself to a crowd means nothing on the pitch. Grealish put in a solid 10 out of 10 performance at his unveiling last summer, coming across as one of the most relatable multimillionaires you’re ever likely to bump into in Ibiza, but he will be hoping to show his best work on the pitch next season after 12 months of adaptation.
And so the fact that Haaland got the juices flowing doesn’t necessarily mean anything. But it does help on days like these when everything is a little less demanding — just ask the City marketing managers who soon noticed that any Grealish content was by far the most popular, and that absolutely anything related to Haaland has easily shattered those records.
He didn’t have to do too much to please the adoring crowd — simply being there was enough — but he fulfilled his brief well. When welcomed on stage after Ortega and Alvarez had had their turns he joined in with the City chants, answered questions about his hair (“I like the viking style”) and delighted those in attendance when asked about the game he is most looking forward to… “I don’t want to say the words… but Manchester United.”
We could have known it would be like this.
“Maybe I should get a UK fade, so I can fit good in??” he wrote on an Instagram story the other week, a picture of him wearing a purple Louis Vuitton hat. “No I don’t have any eyebrows x,” the next story read. “Anyways enough sun for today and enough screen time for today cheers mate.”
It didn’t take him long to pick up the training ground chat and he might have heard a few “cheers mates” when fans flocked to get a signature on a shirt, a ball or whatever else they could thrust under the new boys’ noses.
Later, when it came to the serious business of the press conferences, he took everything in his stride. A big “hello” when he walked into the room might not seem a lot — and let’s be honest, it isn’t — but journalists will take any sort of affection at this point.
He’s got a reputation as somebody who gives short shrift to interviewers — and it’s fair to say he’s never going to speak for minutes on end in these things — but his answers were illuminating all the same.
After correcting a journalist who said he first knew Alfie Haaland had a son when the youngster scored four goals against Brann in 2017 — “2018, yeah” — the big striker with the even bigger reputation managed to play down any big predictions, but in a completely natural and genuine way.
“Everything, everything,” he said, sincerely, when asked what he can improve at City. “Headers, shooting left foot, right foot, movement, with the ball, off the ball.”
He was asked about watching City play from afar and assured everybody that seeing it and experiencing it — as he did for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last season — is completely different. “Suddenly I didn’t touch the ball for 25 minutes. Gundogan, can you stop playing tiki-taka all the time?!”
Sensibly, none of the goalscorers on the day wanted to put any predictions out into the world. Alvarez avoided putting a specific number on his hoped-for goal tally, and Haaland did not care to speculate how many assists Kevin De Bruyne might give him.
But there was a confidence about Haaland in the way he carried himself and the way he spoke. Asked if he thinks he can win the Champions League with City, he replied: “I said it before, the Champions League is my favourite competition, so you have the answer there.”
And the thorny issue of Real Madrid’s interest, and his interest in them, was addressed when he was asked if he is ready now, on his fifth club at the age of 21, to lay down roots somewhere for five to 10 years.
“I signed a five-year deal so we have to start there,” he said.
Alvarez was actually asked if all the focus on Haaland could help him settle, and he said the same kind of things that he said to all the questions. He was asked on stage what the fans expect? “Goals, assists and helping the team,” he said, and there was a lot of “helping the team”, which is perfectly normal, but it was harder to get a feel for his personality on this occasion. There’s plenty of time for that, though.
Most pertinently for now, he mentioned playing on the wings, as well as down the middle, and that could be useful after the exits of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling. He said he is ready to go straight away, having only just arrived from the South American football calendar, which has been running since February.
Ortega was pretty honest when his turn came: he says he hopes to usurp Ederson as No 1, but he knows he will be back-up, and he joked that he will let Haaland score in training to boost his confidence, given he never managed it in the Bundesliga.
It will be fascinating to see Ortega in action, even if that comes in the Carabao Cup, because he has made some remarkable saves in the Bundesliga and his passing range is impressive. Alvarez is one of the most exciting prospects in world football — the months since his move was announced in January have been filled with goals for River Plate and he is, stylistically, perfect for Guardiola’s City, especially if false 9s are still the way to go.
But the day was always going to be about Haaland. The entire season could be all about him, too, and for whatever it’s worth he helped light up a sunny afternoon before the serious business begins. Cheers mate.
https://theathletic.com/3413261/2022/07/11/erland-haaland-manchester-city-unveiling-ortega-alvarez/
Erling Haaland looks and sounds every inch Manchester City’s star attraction
By Sam Lee
Manchester City fans have more to celebrate than most. Between all the trophies and wonderful football, it’s hard to feel too sorry for them.
But top-level football is a strange business. Title races aren’t especially enjoyable, especially with Liverpool breathing down your neck, and if you’re lucky enough to see them off — and what a way City did so on the final day — you’ve probably got about a week to celebrate it.
Soon enough, it’s time to argue with strangers on the internet and worry about transfers. Before you know it the season has started and Liverpool are breathing down your neck again.
So what a nice midsummer afternoon at the Etihad it was on Sunday. Now that transfers are such a big part of football, why not celebrate them? And so City unveiled their summer signings to date — minus the ill Kalvin Phillips — in front of a big crowd on a scorching day that acts as a reminder that life, and football, isn’t always so bad.
The fact that City have four signings in place, a day before they begin pre-season, is impressive in its own right — as another Manchester club could testify.
But Erling Haaland was inevitably the big story. That’s no slight on Phillips, Julian Alvarez or Stefan Ortega; Haaland is the main attraction for the whole Premier League now, such is his ability and reputation.
Haaland 9 shirts were easy to spot, sported by children and adults alike (the new orange goalkeeper shirt also seems to be a hit with the kids), and the loudest cheers of the afternoon were reserved for the big Norwegian.
It was only a year ago that City were trying to sign Harry Kane, yet a certain number of supporters openly wished that the whole thing could be pushed back a year and Haaland come instead. He was so good, and so sought after, it just didn’t seem possible at the time.
And now he’s here. Or “he’s here and he’s perfect,” as Kim Kardashian once tweeted about the birth of her son.
Haaland looked every inch the star attraction up on the stage and in all the pictures, towering over the hosts and Alvarez himself. It’s hard not to have presence at 6ft 4in but he does wear it well, the physical and the footballing stature.
There were plenty of Jack Grealish shirts in the crowd too, and that’s a much-needed reminder that talking well and endearing yourself to a crowd means nothing on the pitch. Grealish put in a solid 10 out of 10 performance at his unveiling last summer, coming across as one of the most relatable multimillionaires you’re ever likely to bump into in Ibiza, but he will be hoping to show his best work on the pitch next season after 12 months of adaptation.
And so the fact that Haaland got the juices flowing doesn’t necessarily mean anything. But it does help on days like these when everything is a little less demanding — just ask the City marketing managers who soon noticed that any Grealish content was by far the most popular, and that absolutely anything related to Haaland has easily shattered those records.
He didn’t have to do too much to please the adoring crowd — simply being there was enough — but he fulfilled his brief well. When welcomed on stage after Ortega and Alvarez had had their turns he joined in with the City chants, answered questions about his hair (“I like the viking style”) and delighted those in attendance when asked about the game he is most looking forward to… “I don’t want to say the words… but Manchester United.”
We could have known it would be like this.
“Maybe I should get a UK fade, so I can fit good in??” he wrote on an Instagram story the other week, a picture of him wearing a purple Louis Vuitton hat. “No I don’t have any eyebrows x,” the next story read. “Anyways enough sun for today and enough screen time for today cheers mate.”
It didn’t take him long to pick up the training ground chat and he might have heard a few “cheers mates” when fans flocked to get a signature on a shirt, a ball or whatever else they could thrust under the new boys’ noses.
Later, when it came to the serious business of the press conferences, he took everything in his stride. A big “hello” when he walked into the room might not seem a lot — and let’s be honest, it isn’t — but journalists will take any sort of affection at this point.
He’s got a reputation as somebody who gives short shrift to interviewers — and it’s fair to say he’s never going to speak for minutes on end in these things — but his answers were illuminating all the same.
After correcting a journalist who said he first knew Alfie Haaland had a son when the youngster scored four goals against Brann in 2017 — “2018, yeah” — the big striker with the even bigger reputation managed to play down any big predictions, but in a completely natural and genuine way.
“Everything, everything,” he said, sincerely, when asked what he can improve at City. “Headers, shooting left foot, right foot, movement, with the ball, off the ball.”
He was asked about watching City play from afar and assured everybody that seeing it and experiencing it — as he did for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last season — is completely different. “Suddenly I didn’t touch the ball for 25 minutes. Gundogan, can you stop playing tiki-taka all the time?!”
Sensibly, none of the goalscorers on the day wanted to put any predictions out into the world. Alvarez avoided putting a specific number on his hoped-for goal tally, and Haaland did not care to speculate how many assists Kevin De Bruyne might give him.
But there was a confidence about Haaland in the way he carried himself and the way he spoke. Asked if he thinks he can win the Champions League with City, he replied: “I said it before, the Champions League is my favourite competition, so you have the answer there.”
And the thorny issue of Real Madrid’s interest, and his interest in them, was addressed when he was asked if he is ready now, on his fifth club at the age of 21, to lay down roots somewhere for five to 10 years.
“I signed a five-year deal so we have to start there,” he said.
Alvarez was actually asked if all the focus on Haaland could help him settle, and he said the same kind of things that he said to all the questions. He was asked on stage what the fans expect? “Goals, assists and helping the team,” he said, and there was a lot of “helping the team”, which is perfectly normal, but it was harder to get a feel for his personality on this occasion. There’s plenty of time for that, though.
Most pertinently for now, he mentioned playing on the wings, as well as down the middle, and that could be useful after the exits of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling. He said he is ready to go straight away, having only just arrived from the South American football calendar, which has been running since February.
Ortega was pretty honest when his turn came: he says he hopes to usurp Ederson as No 1, but he knows he will be back-up, and he joked that he will let Haaland score in training to boost his confidence, given he never managed it in the Bundesliga.
It will be fascinating to see Ortega in action, even if that comes in the Carabao Cup, because he has made some remarkable saves in the Bundesliga and his passing range is impressive. Alvarez is one of the most exciting prospects in world football — the months since his move was announced in January have been filled with goals for River Plate and he is, stylistically, perfect for Guardiola’s City, especially if false 9s are still the way to go.
But the day was always going to be about Haaland. The entire season could be all about him, too, and for whatever it’s worth he helped light up a sunny afternoon before the serious business begins. Cheers mate.
https://theathletic.com/3413261/2022/07/11/erland-haaland-manchester-city-unveiling-ortega-alvarez/
