Man City star Haaland hails 'genius' Guardiola for transforming him into a goal machine: 'Helped me refine my movements'
Erling Haaland has been on a record-breaking spree ever since he joined Manchester City, the club his father Alfie had also played for, from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, becoming Premier League’s leading goal-scorer in his very first month in the English top-flight.
Two months later, the Norwegian football star would become the first player to score hat-tricks in three consecutive home games in the Premier League. And by the end of his maiden season in the English top-flight, he finished as the leading goal-scorer with 36 goals – six more than Harry Kane.
Haaland continued to smash records beyond his debut season, becoming the quickest ever player to 50, 75 as well as 100 Premier League goals – surpassing the legendary Alan Shearer on two of those counts.
It’s only been a little over three years since his arrival in England, and the 25-year-old – who has already won two Golden Boots during this period – has made a strong case for getting included in the Premier League’s Hall of Fame.
‘Working with him so far has been a great experience’
In a chat with JioStar, Haaland opened up on the influence City manager Pep Guardiola has had in moulding him into the superstar that he is today.
“Since joining City, Pep Guardiola has significantly helped me refine my movements and put myself in positions where I can score goals. He’s a genius, and his support has played a big role in my development as a goal scorer. Working with him so far has been a great experience,” Haaland told JioStar.
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Guardiola has had quite the impact on City’s fortunes; while the club had been on the rise ever since they were acquired by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008 and had won their first top flight title in over four decades in the 2011-12 season.
However, it was only after Guardiola’s arrival that Man City transformed into an unstoppable force in the Premier League, winning six out of nine seasons under the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss as well as the 2022-23 Champions League and two FA Cup titles.
Haaland happened to be part of two of those seasons – 2022-23 and 2023-24. And while City fell behind Liverpool and Arsenal earlier this year, they are closing in on the latter at present and remain in the hunt for an 11th Premier top-flight crown.
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