Erling Haaland (Male footballer of the day)

 

Erling Braut Haaland was born on July 21, 2000, in Leeds, England, while his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was playing in the Premier League. Growing up in a football family (his father was a professional player and his mother, Gry Marita, was a heptathlon athlete), Erling was surrounded by sports from an early age. 

The family later moved back to Norway, settling in the small town of Bryne. From a young age, Haaland showed remarkable physical abilities, stories suggest he could jump extraordinary heights even as a toddler, and by five, he was already playing organized football. His competitive spirit and athletic genes quickly set him apart.

Haaland’s football journey formally began at Bryne FK’s youth academy, where he consistently played above his age group. By the age of 15, he was already training with Bryne’s first team and made his senior debut in Norway’s second tier in 2016. His raw speed, power, and predatory instincts in front of goal drew attention from scouts across Europe. 

A move to Molde FK under Ole Gunnar Solskjær followed in 2017, where he sharpened his finishing skills and gained valuable experience. During the 2018 season, he was Molde’s top scorer, and his four-goal blitz against Brann in just 21 minutes showed the world a glimpse of his explosive talent.

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His big breakthrough came when he signed with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria in January 2019. At Salzburg, Haaland made headlines in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League by scoring a hat-trick on his Champions League debut against Genk and finishing the group stage with eight goals. His ability to combine speed, strength, and clinical finishing was almost unmatched for someone his age. This made him one of the hottest properties in world football, with Europe’s elite clubs vying for his signature.

In December 2019, he joined Borussia Dortmund, where his reputation soared even higher. Haaland scored a hat-trick on his Bundesliga debut in just 23 minutes, and his consistent performances made him one of the most feared strikers in Europe. He ended his first full season at Dortmund with 41 goals in all competitions and won the DFB-Pokal in 2021. 

In 2022, he took another step up, signing with Manchester City. Under Pep Guardiola, Haaland shattered Premier League records, including the single-season goal record with 36 goals in the 2022–23 season, helping City secure a historic treble (Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League).

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Unlike some modern stars, Haaland’s life has been relatively free of controversies or scandals. He is known for his focused, somewhat quirky personality, eating massive portions of liver and heart for his diet, meditating on the pitch after scoring, and having a playful, sometimes odd sense of humor in interviews. Off the pitch, he keeps a low profile and is deeply family-oriented. Haaland has not starred in movies, though he frequently appears in football documentaries and promotional campaigns.

As of mid-2025, Haaland is still at Manchester City, continuing to dominate English and European football with his incredible goal-scoring prowess. He remains a marketing magnet, featured in countless commercials and global campaigns. At just 24, he’s widely seen as the likely successor to the Messi-Ronaldo era, expected to battle with Kylian Mbappé for the title of the world’s best for years to come. With no major scandals tarnishing his image and his relentless hunger for goals, Haaland’s story is still being written  and it promises to be one of football’s greatest.