Soccer (Football)
‘Fearless’ Erling Haaland on Red Bull Salzburg’s Champions League ambitions
Hat-trick hero Haaland opens up about Anfield, Virgil van Dijk, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his love of English football – and how the Champions League anthem is his favourite song.
Norwegian striker Erling Braut Haaland took the Champions League by storm by netting a first-half hat-trick on his debut in the 6–2 victory over Genk in Group E on September 17.
And Haaland, the new wünderkind of European football, is backing his team to bring some heavy-metal football of their own to Liverpool when they face the Champions League winners at Anfield on October 2.
It’ll be a tough game at Anfield, but nothing is impossible
“We’re fearless,” says Haaland. “We’re not afraid of anything, and we always want to attack and score. When you have hungry players around you, it’s easy to play with them, as they want the same as you. We want to score all the time and achieve something.
“It’ll be a tough game at Anfield, but they’re only human, like us, so nothing is impossible. We have to be honest and say, ‘Liverpool are the world’s best team, as they won the Champions League,’ but Napoli are also very good and we beat them at home last year.
“I’ve never been to Anfield, but I think it is maybe one of the best atmospheres in the world and I look forward to playing there.”
Erling Haaland with the match ball
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Salzburg
The treble against Genk was Haaland’s fourth hat-trick for Red Bull Salzburg this season and his 17 goals in 10 games have helped the Austrian champions make an unbeaten start to life under the guidance of American coach Jesse Marsch.
Haaland reveals he’s watched his goals against Genk “around 30 times” on repeat but hasn’t set a goal target for the season.
Dutch defender and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Virgil van Dijk will be trying to stop him from adding to his goal tally at Anfield, but Haaland’s not fazed by the challenge.
“I don’t think you can train to play against him, but you can train on things that can maybe trick him or set him out of position” says Haaland. “We all have to be at our best ever, every player, to have a chance against this team.”
I’ll drive home from the last training session before the game and listen to the Champions League theme
In the aftermath of the Genk victory, Austrian defender Max Wober let slip that his team-mate had prepared for the biggest match of his career by listening to the iconic Champions League anthem in his car the night before the game. Haaland laughs at the reaction this caused, but says he’ll repeat the trick before travelling to England to face Liverpool.
“I think I’ll do the same! I’ll drive home from the last training session before the game and listen to the Champions League theme. I’ve been listening to it since I was a little kid, and it’s maybe my favourite song. Hearing it in the stadium was amazing.”
Standing at 193cm (6ft 4in) after a huge growth spurt in his early teenage years, it was another tall and confident Scandinavian striker who inspired him growing up to make his mark on the biggest stage.
Haaland and team-mates in the Champions League dressing room
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
“I had a lot of role models and looked up to many footballers, but Zlatan Ibrahimović is the biggest one,” he says. “The way he became so good, the way he plays – and also he’s Scandinavian, so someone has to take over from him!”
Ibrahimović has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Barcelona, Manchester United, PSG, Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, and Haaland’s also dreamed of representing some of the giants of world football.
“Every football player dreams of playing for one of the best and biggest clubs in the world,” he says. “This has been a dream my whole life and I especially like English football.”
It’s no surprise, perhaps, that Haaland’s a fan of the English game, having been born in the Yorkshire city of Leeds – he’s the son of former Norway international and top player Alf-Inge Haaland, then a Leeds United player when the club were a Premier League outfit. The teenager speaks to his father daily, receiving advice about life both on and off the pitch.
Solskjaer’s one of the reasons I’m here today. He’s a good person and a good coach
Alf-Inge isn’t the only former Norwegian Premier League star to have a big impact on his early career, though, with compatriot Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coaching him and giving him his debut at Molde.
“He had a very big impact on my life and he taught me a lot,” Haaland says of the current Manchester United boss. “He’s one of the reasons I’m here today. He’s a good person and a good coach.”
Erling Haaland celebrates against Genk
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Salzburg
Red Bull Salzburg play Liverpool at Anfield in UEFA Champions League Group E on October 2 at 7pm UTC (9pm CEST/8pm BST).
Haaland will also play a central role in the new documentary about Red Bull Salzburg, called JEDER.MANN - Des is Soizburg. This one-of-a-kind production gives deep insights into the challenges of the new season: The club has only 13 weeks, with a new coach and a new team, to prepare for their big dream coming true – joining the Champions League for the first time. The eight-part documentary is produced by the Red Bull Media House and A1now. The episodes are available at www.a1now.tv/jedermann, the whole season will be available on www.redbull.com/jedermann on October 28.