Erling Haaland has spoken of Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact on him / Visionhaus | Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Erling Haaland has revealed that he learned the art of movement in the penalty area by watching videos of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 23-year-old recently finished as runner-up to Lionel Messi at the 2023 Ballon d’Or – reward for a record-breaking first season at Manchester City that saw him score 52 goals in all competitions and win a historic Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
Haaland has shown no signs of letting up during 2023/24, scoring 17 goals in 18 appearances across all competitions, and his relentless thirst for goals continues to draw the attention of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Whether or not the Norwegian opts to leave the Premier League at some stage remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting that Haaland has the raw ingredients to follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo at Real Madrid, who he has admitted to admiring when learning his craft as a striker.
Ronaldo operated at the very highest level for Manchester United, Juventus and Madrid for close to 20 years, with his incredible longevity – as well as his talent – allowing him to become the record goalscorer in men’s international football.
The 38-year-old is also the Champions League’s greatest ever goal-getter, bettering Lionel Messi, and Haaland told TV2 that Ronaldo had made a huge impression on him, particularly with his off the ball work.
“I remember always watching him on YouTube for his movements in the box: He used to make two or three moves before attacking the space he wanted to be in,’ Haaland said. “It’s kind of a duel in that situation with the centre-backs. It is important to time it perfectly. And the post must be good. If you don’t get a good cross, you won’t be able to score with your head.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still striving for the best aged 38 / Carlos Rodrigues/GettyImages
“How Cristiano moves, and how he has managed to develop his game. You remember when he played in Manchester United and the first years in Real Madrid, to become more of a striker in Real Madrid.
“It is incredible for him that he manages. But also how he scores the goals. It is the small movements in the box, and being able to deceive the defenders.”
Ronaldo is continuing to score goals for fun at Al Nassr and was the first leading figure in world football to take the plunge at head for the cash-rich Saudi Pro League. He has since been followed by the likes of Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez, with a number of other leading Premier League alumni – both players and managers – opting to head over to the Middle East.
Haaland, meanwhile, has scored 207 goals in 216 games for club and country since joining Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg in 2018.
