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Since his first hat trick in the Champions League versus Genk and the following hype in social media, every football fan knows the young Norwegian starlet Erling Haaland. He is without a doubt a very talented teenager and got some good potential. However, who is he, how does Haaland play, and what does the future behold for him?
Erling Haaland, the son of ex-Manchester City player Alf-Inge Haaland was born in Leeds in the year 2000, as his father played there during that time. After Alf-Inge retired as a professional, the family travelled back to Norway, where Erling also started playing football. From Bryne FK, where he began his career, the striker moved to Molde FK. Under their former coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he was able to score 14 times in 38 games, aged only 17. One year later, RB Salzburg bought the attacker for £ 7.2 million, as he joined them in the winter transfer window of 2019. In Austria, Haaland was able to attract attention from all over Europe, as he racked up 29 goals and assisted seven more in just 27 games. The player is also the Champions League’s second most prolific goal getter so far this season, despite his team only ranking third in the group.
His great performances earned him a £ 18 million move to Borussia Dortmund. In Germany, Haaland scored a whopping five times in his first two games. What's even more impressive -He only played 59 minutes so far for his new team.
RB Salzburg coach, Jesse Marsch said of his ex player
"We know Erling so well, and he’s always been a big-game player. If Dortmund can continue to get him around the goal, he will score goals in bunches.”
One of Erling Haland’s main strengths is his great finishing. In the Bundesliga, he scored all of his five shots in the Bundesliga so far. In the Champions League the striker is similarly effective, as he had a conversion rate of 53%. The 19-year old is not only very strong and tall, measuring 194 cm, he is also very fast, clocking in a top speed of 36 km/h in a league game in Austria.
Nonetheless, the left-footer does not only possess great physical attributes, but is also lethally instinctive inside the box. Consequently, he is not only able to out-muscle the opposing defenders, but can also be found in dangerous positions around the six-yard-box.
One of Haaland great weakness is his dribbling abilities and technique. He seems rather clunky in possession and loses the ball three times a game due this flaw, despite only touching the ball around twenty times a game. He also needs improvement in his passing, as the striker only manages a passing accuracy of roughly 63.5%. Yet, those numbers are normal for a young striker, with such a huge frame and will most likely improve with time and experience.
Considering this, Erling Haaland possesses almost everything a player needs in order to become one of the best attackers in the world. He is tall, strong, fast and deadly in front of the goal. Despite some flaws the player is already quite complete and with Dortmund, chose one of the best clubs in the world, in order to develop into a star.
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