Erling Haaland didn’t think of Manchester United when considering who to join this summer.
A documentary – titled The Big Decision – on Scandinavian streaming service Viaplay shed light on the process that led to Haaland leaving Borussia Dortmund for Man City.
His father, former City player Alfe-Inge Haaland, has revealed he and his son devised a criteria-based points system as if the club needed a No.9 to rank contenders for the center front.
At the end of February, seven clubs were in contention to sign the striker, but United were not among them.
“On our list, I think City are the best team,” Alfe-Inge said in the film, quoted by The Times, months before his son made his decision. “[Bayern] Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid as number three, Paris Saint-Germain as number four.
“We also have English teams other than City who are quite good. . . Liverpool and Chelsea. Also, there is Barcelona. They are sort of in the same row.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who coached Haaland at Norwegian side Molde, tried to bring the striker to United when he left RB Salzburg in January 2020.
However, the club pulled out of the running after refusing to accept the £51m release clause which was later inserted into his contract from Dortmund.
The documentary also reveals that the manager of his next club was not part of the points system.
“I was never transferred to a club because of the manager,” Haaland said. “But it’s a big plus with [Pep] Guardiola at City is the best coach in the world.
Other criteria included the club’s style of play, history and stadium capacity. The report adds that the standings have been updated regularly over the past season and that in the final standings, City have only just finished ahead of the second-placed team believed to be Real Madrid.
“I think there was a point separating the top two with the latest calculations,” Alfe-Inge said.
City set to sign a striker, questions over Robert Lewandowski’s future and transfer uncertainty over Kylian Mbappe also impacted the decision.
“One of the criteria is whether the club needs a No.9,” Haaland Sr. said in the spring.
“The city is ten [out of ten] in this regard. Bayern Munich get a point for that, they don’t need a No.9. They have their best player as a No.9, but if [Lewandowski] goes, so they don’t have anyone else.
“It would have been quite controversial to go to Munich but when you go there they are one of the best teams. Real Madrid are a five or six [out of ten]. They have [Karim] Benzema, and will they get [Kylian] Mbappe?
Haaland admitted the significance of the decision meant he had trouble sleeping and also revealed that when Dortmund faced City in the Champions League in April 2021, many opponents tried to butter him up for an Etihad switch.
“After the game, I think 15 people said I had to come,” he said. “[John] Stones and Rubén Dias, [Ilkay] Gundogan, [Phil] Foden, [Kevin] DeBruyne.
Haaland has made an electric start to life at City, scoring 14 goals in his first nine appearances. However, City and the Premier League may not be the final destination of what promises to be an outstanding career.
“I think Erling wants to test his abilities in every league. Then he can stay in every league for three to four years maximum,” Alfe-Inge said.
“He could spend two and a half years in Germany, two and a half years in England, then Spain, Italy, France, right?” he added, laughing.
“We don’t know if it will be like that, but I think he would like to test his abilities in the big leagues.”
Haaland denied joining City because they offered him the highest salary, but admitted money was an important part of his life.
“When I was a young boy, like everyone else, I dreamed of becoming the best footballer in the world and making a living from it,” said Haaland, who earns £400,000 a week.
“Now yes. I think money is important to everyone in this world.
“Earning the most money is not the main objective, but you would like to earn as much as possible. If you can get 5,000 Norwegian kroner (about £420) to do a job or 10,000 to do the same work, you take the 10,000. Anyone would do that. I dreamed of playing football and making a living out of it for the rest of my life.
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