Haaland: Why I rejected Madrid & Barcelona for Man City
Carlo Garganese
- 10 Jul 2022 12:30 CDT
- 3 min read
Erling Haaland has revealed the reasons why he signed for Manchester City.
The Norwegian star was the most-wanted player on the transfer market heading into the summer.
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Virtually every major club in Europe were interested in him but eventually it turned into a three-horse race in 2022 between Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Eventually Haaland agreed to sign a five-year contract with City, with the English champions activating the €60 million fee in his Borussia Dortmund contract.
So why did Haaland join City?
What did Haaland say?
“I signed a five-year deal so we have to start there,” Haaland said as he was unveiled as a City player in front of fans on Sunday.
“In the end I just had the feeling in my stomach, the feeling with the way they play, everything, I had the feeling for City.
“I played against them last year and when you meet it is completely different to the TV. I didn't touch the ball for 25 minutes and it is like, '(Ilkay) Gundogan please stop playing tiki-taka'. It is a different level how they play and that is what I want to be a part of.
"When I have fun, I score goals and enjoy playing. I hope to smile a lot." 💬@ErlingHaaland answers questions from the media at today's welcome event 👇
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 10, 2022
“It's not only me and Phil Foden here. There are so many good players. City are already Premier League winners and there is still huge potential.
“That is a really exciting thing. I've said before that the Champions League is my favourite competition, so you have your answer [on targets].”
Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 games in all competitions during two and a half years at Dortmund.
Read more about: Premier League, Man City
