Manchester City star Erling Haaland always knew he’d become one of football’s most sought after players and the striker predicted his rise by ditching his original surname.
Manchester City goalscoring phenomenon Erling Haaland always knew he was set for super stardom when the forward-thinking striker changed his name as his career began to take-off.
The 22-year-old son of City legend Alfie Haland has been a revelation in the Premier League since joining Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer. He made Prem history following his hat-trick against Manchester United on Sunday, becoming the first player to score THREE successive match trebles in the division.
And it appears the Norway international, who’s bagged an insane 14 goals in just eight Prem matches, has been preparing to become one of football’s biggest stars from the start of his career by adding an extra ‘A’ to his original surname. It may seem like it was made on a whim, but the attacker’s decision to abandon his father’s last name was part of meticulous plan by the youngster and his team.
When Haaland was asked about the choice to do so a few years ago, he smiled and said: “One step ahead.” Although Haaland didn’t have much else to say about the name change, reports suggest it was made to sound more “anglicized and better for sponsorship / marketing opportunities.”
The former Borussia Dortmund attacker began to mastermind his future and amend his second name after joining RB Salzburg in 2019 despite interest from Juventus. It was clear he was about to take the game by storm when he bagged a hat-trick on his Champions League debut for the German side – prompting a slew of big clubs to sit up and take notice.
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And the shrewd pre-empted business move has paid off as Haaland’s been raking in millions from sponsorship deals since his time with Salzburg. Nike were the first big company to do business with Haaland – offering him a lucrative €1million (£836,000) brand deal that culminated in January.
Sporting giant Puma have been trying to pinch Haaland from Nike and it’s been reported that the German brand tabled a £6.7m to the forward earlier this year. Not wanting to miss out on Haaland’s huge market appeal, Adidas also entered the fray to try and sign the superstar.
However, he’s yet to make a decision on his new sponsor and has been seen donning all three brands after joining City. And as Haaland’s stock continues to rise, it’s only a matter of time before he’s bringing in the same amount from brand deals as Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
Haaland’s at the right place to expand his appeal as City are now the second biggest football brand behind Barcelona. And the gulf in ability between the reigning Premier League Champions and neighbours Manchester United was clear for all to see when they thumped the Red Devils 6-3 on Sunday.
Source: dailystar.co.uk
