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Erling Braut Haaland's father, Alf-Inge Haaland, has revealed that Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo has influenced his son's eating habits. At 37, the Red Devils striker is still hungry to score and has registered 24 goals in all competitions this season.
The Borussia Dortmund marksman will be plying his trade in the Premier League in Manchester City colors next season.
While speaking to the Daily Star, the striker's father admitted that his son has been more professional than him and had to make sacrifices at a young age. He said:
“I had to be determined to make it in the game. But Erling made all the sacrifices, leaving home at 16 to move to Molde and he is a lot more professional than I was."
The Norwegian is lethal in front of goal and uses his tall frame to his advantage to bully defenders. The senior Haaland, who played for Manchester City from 2000 to 2003, revealed the secret behind his son's physical prowess.
Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra told Haaland of Cristiano Ronaldo's strict diet regime, which motivated the 21-year-old to emulate the same. Alf-Inge said:
"He was told a story by Patrice Evra about a lunch he had with Ronaldo and Cristiano had fish, nothing else. Erling now tries to do the same things because Ronaldo is still at the top of the game so it shows the value of doing the right things.”
The Borussia Dortmund striker consumes six meals a day to maintain his physicality and strength. His teammates have disclosed that Haaland eats chicken and pasta cooked without salt or oil, and other meals often include swordfish, sea bream and sea bass.
The 21-year-old has reaped the rewards of following in Ronaldo's footsteps when it comes to his diet and his imposing performances against defenders are proof of the same.
How does Erling Haaland fair against Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League?
Since joining Borussia Dortmund in 2020, the Norwegian striker has scored 85 goals in 88 appearances along with providing 23 assists in all competitions. His arrival could be the key to Manchester City's European ambitions.
Pep Guardiola's side were knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals by Ronaldo's former club Real Madrid. However, having signed a goalscorer with Haaland's abilities, City will fancy winning the UCL in the next couple of years.
The 21-year-old is the most efficient forward the tournament has ever seen. In his 19 appearances so far in the UCL, the striker has scored 23 goals with the best minute-per-goal ratio (64 min-per goal) of any player to have scored 15 goals or more.
Manchester United striker Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League with 140 strikes in 183 appearances. However, if Haaland continues the Portuguese's strict diet regime and manages to play until his late 30s, he should have a good chance to break the Manchester United superstar's record.
