admin‘Not in my wildest dreams’ – Everything Erling Haaland has said about Leeds United ahead of Man City clash
Manchester City’s in-form striker Erling Haaland is widely known to be a passionate Leeds United supporter. On Sunday, Leeds will face Manchester City, coming up against one of their most high-profile fans—and no, it’s not Kalvin Phillips.
Haaland’s connection to Leeds comes through his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, who made 92 appearances for the club between 1997 and 2000. During that time, the current City forward was born in West Yorkshire.
The Norwegian has openly spoken about his affection for the Whites, but this weekend he will line up against them. Leeds travel to the Etihad aware of the huge test ahead and, for those 90 minutes, Haaland will be the opposition, challenging defenders like Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk. With that in mind, here is what the prolific goalscorer has previously said about Leeds United.
What has Erling Haaland said about Leeds United?
In December 2022, Haaland scored twice in his first match against Leeds, a 3-1 Manchester City victory at Elland Road under Jesse Marsch.
Despite the goals, his celebrations were noticeably subdued. After the match, he explained that it was out of respect for the club he loves.
Speaking to VG, he said:
“It was planned. I didn’t feel like celebrating. I have respect for Leeds, where I was born. Of course I celebrated with Jack [Grealish] and said ‘good job’, because they were two fantastic assists. My parents were in the stands, the whole family was there. It was special.”
Haaland also revealed his childhood connection:
“When I was little, I had a Leeds shirt with Eirik Bakke on the back and a City shirt with my dad’s name. I never imagined I would play at Elland Road for City against Leeds. It’s surreal when your father played for both clubs. I’m proud today!”
Before joining Manchester City, Haaland had already become a star at Borussia Dortmund, but his ambitions went back much further. During his time at RB Salzburg, he expressed a dream of playing at Elland Road—but in a Leeds shirt:
“I want to be the best I can be. The dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds. I also want to be better than my dad and play more international matches than he did.”
What have others said about Haaland and Leeds United?
Haaland isn’t the only Leeds supporter at Manchester City. He quickly bonded with Kalvin Phillips—another Whites fan—after Phillips moved to the Etihad in 2022. The two even discussed attending a Leeds home match together, though it is unclear whether it ever happened.
“Erling Haaland is a Leeds fan, yes—he is,” Phillips told BBC Radio 5 Live a month before that 3-1 City win.
“He’s a massive Leeds fan. We’ve actually talked about going to Elland Road to watch a big game. Leeds fans might need to look out for us in the stands.”
Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, who coached Haaland at RB Salzburg, also heard from the striker ahead of that fixture.
“Erling texted me as soon as the schedule came out and said he was most excited for Boxing Day,” Marsch said. “He was born here, his dad has history at the club, and he has the club in his heart because of that.
When I took the job, he and his father were incredibly supportive. We expect him to be passionate about this match, which creates problems for us.”
Haaland’s affection for Leeds was also evident during the September 2020 international break, shortly after Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa.
After scoring twice in Norway’s 5-1 win over Northern Ireland, Haaland approached Stuart Dallas for a shirt swap.
“It was a really nice touch,” Dallas told PA Sport. “I know there’s a Leeds connection, but I didn’t think he’d want to swap shirts with me. It shows he still follows Leeds, and he wished me luck in the Premier League. It says a lot about him.
His performance was incredible—he’s only 20 and has a massive future ahead of him… maybe one day he’ll come to Leeds.”
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