Erling Haaland with his father and representative, Alf-Inge Haaland. Photo: Instagram.
The first bombshell in the European transfer market was the inclusion of Erling Haaland in Manchester City. The Norwegian striker, 21 years old and 1.94 meters tall, flirted with all the giants of the Old Continent and ended up staying with Pep Guardiola’s team. However, this isn’t Haaland’s first time wearing a Citizens jersey.
Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, among others, have dreamed of taking goals from giant Borussia Dortmund. But above all they seem to weigh the will of Alf Inge Haalandhis father and manager, who had a long career as a footballer in the 1990s, playing for City even before the Qatari tycoons changed the club’s history in their millions.
This is not the first time Alf-Inge has positioned himself at the center of the world football scene. Tough and patient as now, in the past he also knew how to defend the colors of Leeds; from Nottingham Forest, just after the departure of the great Brian Clough; and the Norwegian team, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1994, included him in its squad.
However, his name is remembered in England for being a player who had to retire after a brutal kick by Irishman Roy Keane, famous for his strong character and rudeness on the pitch. This is the story of revenge, which has been “cooked” for almost four years. As the famous saying goes: “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
April 2001. Roy Keane and Alf Inge Haaland, minutes before the Irish kicked the Norwegian. Image: File.
The story of the “other” Haaland
In 1993, Haaland came to the Premier League to join the Nottingham Forest squad, having just sold Roy Keane to Manchester United for a record fee. A year later, at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Norway and Ireland met for the third group stage date, but Haaland was suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards, so he did not face Keane. Fate determined that both football players did not see each other’s faces. It was for a reason … When the meeting was unavoidable, the worst happened.
In 1997, the red demon they visited Elland Road to play Leeds, looking to extend their undefeated run to nine games. Keane and Haaland had friction throughout the fight. Ten minutes left, they both chased the ball to the local area. The Irishman, realizing he couldn’t get there, kicked his rival from behind. However, he went to the floor, the product of a bad movement that led to an injury. Immediately, Haaland confronted him and shouted in his face not to fake it and got up. Keane, who has been sidelined for a year due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, will never forget that scene.
After the return of the Irish, both faced off on several occasions, without any dispute having taken place. Until April 2001 (three months before Erling’s birth), Keane decided it was time for revenge.. This time, the setting is the magnificent Old Trafford. The Norwegian was then wearing a Manchester City shirt. By itself, the party already has the tense atmosphere common to either Derby.
A few minutes into the derby, Keane lifted his leg and hit Haaland hard in the right knee, who flipped in the air and fell into pain. The perpetrator approached the victim and shouted in the face. “Take this, you bastard. And don’t ever look at me mocking fake injuries again,” Keane recalled in his autobiography.
The United footballer received the red card, five games of suspension and a fine of 233,000 euros. However, the worst part was taken by the Norwegian, who underwent four operations and never completed 90 minutes of a game again. In 2003, when City ended his contract due to his inability to play and train normally, he decided to end his football career at the age of 31.
“He who lives by the sword will die by the sword. He has his reward. He hit me and my habit is tit for tat,” Keane said. However, he eventually withdrew and insisted that it was all a strategy to sell more books: “All I want is to stop him. I’ve kicked a lot of footballers and I don’t know the difference. between pain and soreness for someone “.
Roy Keane yells at Alf Haaland. Image: File.
After his retirement, Haaland returned to Norway and began raising his son Erling, who will now have the opportunity to fulfill his father’s unfulfilled dreams.
Next season, when Erling faces United in a City shirt, the story of kicking his father will return like a ghost. And the young Norwegian star will have a chance to return Keane’s deceptive kick, but this time with goals.
Source: Clarin
