By John Essien
Manchester City’s new signing Erling Haaland has revealed that the Champions League quarterfinal matchup with Dortmund versus Pep Guardiola’s team was the reason for joining City.
The Norwegian attacker was unveiled on Sunday in Manchester City in front of hundreds of fans gathered outside Etihad Stadium.
Haaland was formerly rumored to be moving to Old Trafford, but his father, Alf-Inge, was a City player in the early 2000s.
The 21-year-old who joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in a €60 million deal, has now disclosed the reason behind his move to City.
“When you meet something in person, it’s radically different from what you saw on television”, he claimed. “I had a sense of that. I suddenly went for 25 minutes during the game without touching the ball. I pleaded with [Ilkay] Gundogan to stop playing tiki-taka nonstop.”
“I must say, it’s on a new level. How they play, how they approach the game, and how they create opportunities. I want to participate in that.
“In the end, I was just left with a stomach ache. I just had a sense for City because of the way they play, the feeling, and everything else.”
Haaland was introduced alongside Kalvin Phillips, Julian Alvarez, Stefan Ortega Moreno, and Haaland, but due to illness, the former Leeds midfielder was not present at the occasion.
Alvarez, who cost River Plate €17 million, said his desire to follow players like Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta, Carlos Tevez, and Nicolas Otamendi in his nation.
