Early Life
Haaland was born on 21 July 2000 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, as his father Alfie Haaland was
playing for Leeds United in the Premier League at the time. In 2004, at the age of three, he moved to Bryne, his parents' hometown in Norway.
Along with playing football from an early age, Haaland took part in various other sports as a child, including handball, golf, and track and field. He also
reportedly achieved a world record in his age category for the standing long jump when he was five, with a recorded distance of 1.63 metres in 2006.
Style of play
A prolific goalscorer and widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Haaland has all the attributes of
a complete centre-forward.He uses his sizeable frame to hold play up effectively and involve others.
He has the pace and clever movement to run in behind, he can dribble and create, and he can finish with both feet and his head. He usually comes deep to collect t
he ball to help his team build play, often looking to spread the ball
wide for a teammate, before turning and sprinting towards goal. He sometimes comes too deep for the defenders to follow him; as s
uch he has the awareness to turn on the ball and create from a forward-facing position. In the penalty area he makes small, sharp movements to spot an opportunity
for a teammate to attempt to find him in space, and can change the line on which he is running and accelerate into that space, making him extremely difficult for defenders to read.
Haaland uses his body well when playing with his back to goal, protecting t
he ball effectively as he tries to bring it under control. He uses his strength to secure possession when under pressure
and is also effective in providing his team's defenders with some respite following a clearance. His creativity is most apparent
when he drifts into the left inside channel. His primary aim is always to get a shot off, but he also has the vision
and skill to pick out a delayed run from midfield in the centre. His ability to carry the ball at pace also helps create for others, especially on the counter-attack.
Even though he is less involved in possession than a typical striker, his calmness, patience, timing, and off-the-ball movement have a huge impact in build-up plays.
Haaland idolises Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo, but also cites Michu, Jamie Va
rdy, Sergio Agüero, and Robin van Persie as inspirations, and credits Virgil van Dijk and Sergio Ramos as two of the toughest defenders he has played against.
