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Former Red Bull Salzburg teammates Dominik Szoboszlai and Erling Haaland now find themselves as rivals in two of the leading Premier League sides. The Hungarian midfielder moved to England this season and has revealed that he received advice from Haaland while they played together in Austria.
Manchester City star Haaland is a stickler for fitness and healthy living and has often spoken publicly about the impact on his career. He revealed recently that he employs certain techniques to help his sleep at night, including taping his mouth and using special glasses at night.
Szoboszlai saw Erling Haaland emerge as one of the best strikers in the world during their time at Salzburg, and the midfielder was friends with him back then. He spoke to Fodball about how Haaland enjoyed doing certain weird things to keep himself at the top of his game, referring to him as "a bit sick".
He said:
"When we played in Salzburg I meditated with [Haaland] two or three times because we were in the same room and at first I looked stupid and then I got in. He had a pair of glasses that he wore, and I used them for a while because he said they would make me sleep better and sleepy faster, but if I had, I would wear them now."
He added:
"It didn't help me, but maybe it's because I didn't believe in him as much as he did, but that's everyone's own business. He does a lot of things that people probably don't know, but I've been to his apartment. The guy is a bit sick."
Haaland has recorded a resounding success with the techniques he applies to his personal life to make him a better player. The 23-year-old has impressed his former teammate Dominik Szoboszlai, as well as the entire world with his performances over the last year.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Erling Haaland soaring since Salzburg days
Austrian giants Salzburg are a proper talent factory as they have brought through some of the finest players in Europe. Some of their former players apart from Dominik Szoboszlai and Erling Haaland include Sadio Mane and Naby Keita, both of whom played for Liverpool.
Haaland and Szoboszlai took essentially the same path to the Premier League, moving from Austria to England via Germany. The Hungarian midfielder played for RB Leipzig, while Haaland played for Borussia Dortmund.
This season, Dominik Szoboszlai has arguably been the best-performing summer signing. He has registered two goals and two assists in 14 games across competitions since his £60 million move to Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has scored the most goals in the Premier League this season with 11 goals in 11 games after a record-breaking 2022-23 season.
