Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has credited Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie, and Jamie Vardy as major influences on his playing style today.
At just 25, the big Norwegian has enjoyed a remarkable career which has seen him score many goals and break multiple goalscoring records.
He joined Manchester City in 2022 and has already scored over 150 goals for the club, with only Sergio Aguero, Eric Brook and Tommy Johnson ahead of him in the club’s all time goalscoring charts.
Speaking during an interview, Haaland who has scored 29 goals in the Premier League and Champions League for the Cityzens this season opened up on the early influences in his career.
“I watched Zlatan a lot when I was young. He was Swedish and nice to watch. Of course, [Sergio] Aguero I watched a lot from watching lots of City”, Haaland revealed.
“Then there was also Robin [van Persie] in the Premier League. He was also left-footed, with crazy finishes. I remember one season he had with Arsenal when he scored around 38 goals. That was an incredible season, but there were many strikers.
Even Jamie Vardy… the runs he did were amazing to see. I’ve been watching many strikers.”
Haaland has scored 22 goals and provided seven assists in the league this season and has shown a separate dimension to his game as Pep Guardiola’s side chase Arsenal for the league crown.
The Cityzens are second on the standings and are five points behind the Gunners, although they have a game in hand.
“It’s a big part of my game to do runs in behind and to stretch the defenders to make more space for Phil Foden in between. This is a big part of my game”, Haaland added.
“By always doing the runs, I don’t need to get the ball. I normally don’t get the ball, but against Galatasaray I got it, and it’s a goal, which is good.
“I’ve watched others, and watched goals from the likes of Thierry Henry. You take small things from some of the goals he scored, as well as a lot of different strikers”, he concluded.
Manchester City will hope to close the gap at the summit this weekend when they face Leeds United in Saturday’s late kick-off clash.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
