Erling Haaland points to ‘unreal’ Pep Guardiola as reason for City move, cites Cristiano Ronaldo inspiration

Erling Haaland says watching Manchester City’s “unreal” football under “the best coach” Pep Guardiola was the deciding factor in him choosing to move to the Etihad last summer.

The Norwegian striker joined the club last summer from Borussia Dortmund and has scored an incredible 52 goals from 52 games in his debut campaign, helping the club win the Premier League, FA Cup and reach the Champions League final.

Ahead of the huge showdown with Inter Milan in Istanbul, where City can win the tournament for the first time as well as become just the second English side in history to secure the treble, Haaland spoke exclusively to Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport’s Between the Lines looking ahead to the match and discussing his own game.

Asked what drew him to join City over potential moves to Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, Haaland left no doubt as to why he made the switch to the Manchester giants.

“For me, the football Pep and Man City have been playing is unreal,” Haaland said ahead of the final, with coverage beginning at 6pm UK time on BT Sport 1.

“Everyone knows it, it’s the most beautiful football. I wanted to be a part of that, and I felt it could be a really good fit. I also felt the trust with people I spoke with from higher up, and that was something I wanted to be part of, and also with Pep of course.

“People say this and that of him, but in the end he’s the best coach. The best coach, to be able to experience to train with him was something I wanted, and to work with him every single day was also a nice challenge and something I wanted to experience and to do.”

Although not exactly a shrinking violet at his previous clubs, Haaland believes that playing under Guardiola has helped him develop and grow as a player, something he is keen to continue under the Catalan manager.

“For me it’s about the small details in the game,” he said in response to what Guardiola has brought out of him since joining City. “How to move, when to move, it depends on the opponent of course because everyone plays differently. But it’s really about the small details, it’s difficult to say now. Against this team maybe do this, and do this differently in the next game.

“It’s these kind of small things. I’m still young, I’m still a guy that’s going develop for a long time, I’m still 22. That’s something I also think of. I feel I develop really good here, both as a person and as a player, and for me in the end that’s the most important thing.”

Haaland’s remarkable haul includes 36 goals in the Premier League, a new record for a single season. He is also set to win the golden boot as this year’s top scorer in the Champions League, currently with 12 strikes to his name ahead of the final.

Even the player himself admits he is slightly surprised by his spectacular tally in his debut season at the club.

“I knew the team really well when I came here,” he said. “I’ve been watching City for as long as I can remember.

“The year before they scored 100 goals so for me a striker to come into City scoring goals, I knew I would do it, but of course I didn’t expect to score this many goals.

In relation to the fact the majority of his goals have come from inside the box or considered ‘tap-ins’, Haaland refuses to entertain the idea that this should be seen as a deficiency but rather a strength for both himself and the team.

“Yes, that’s where people score most goals so for me it’s about being around there,” he explained. “It’s a good thing to be good at tapping balls in. Take an example against Leipzig in the Champions League. In the game I felt I had a magnet in my foot and the ball just came to my feet and I just shot it in.

“Last season I watched so many times the crosses went through the whole box and nobody was there. So I was like, imagining myself being there, I would slide that in. I was thinking a bit like that when I came here.

“I am not the one who is going to create chances, I have my role in the team and that is this. My job is to help the team put the ball in the back of the net.

He added: “Look at the players we have. Grealish, De Bruyne, Bernardo. They should be the one contacting the ball all the time. I should not be interrupting them too much with all the dribbling and passes. I should be in the box, scoring, hopefully first touch, if not more touches.”

Despite his City allegiances, Haaland readily admits a former Manchester United legend has influenced his game, citing Cristiano Ronaldo’s movement in the penalty area as an attribute he has sought to replicate.

“For me the best at this is Ronaldo, Cristiano,” he admitted. “Because he takes a movement, and another one, then he goes. I‘ve been watching him a little bit in games and so on.

“Also with him the timing and the finishing, that’s why he’s been scoring so many goals.”

Haaland will be hoping to emulate Ronaldo, a five-time Champions League winner, when he lines up for City at the Ataturk Stadium.

As the club looks to make history in Istanbul against Milan, Haaland wants to cap off a fine first season in blue with some personal glory to aid his side on the way to victory.

“We’re going to have a lot of the ball, we’re going to try to create things. I’m going to try to be within the 16 metres and try to tap in a goal. Would be nice.”