STRIKING SENSATION ERLING HAALAND SPEAKS EXCLUSIVELY TO EUROSPORT NORWAY

Erling Haaland on where it all started for him in July 2018, when his side visited SK Brann
When I look back, it was really a pretty strange time, the start of 2018. That match somehow became a kind of turning point for my career, if you can say it that way. Now I can tell you what it was like for me. I'll try to remember, we played away against Kristiansund and lost 1-0. I missed against the keeper before the end.

Then we had a little holiday week, I trained with (Fredrik) Aursnes, and my brother and Eirik Hestad and a friend, Alexander. We were at Marbella training hard together, refining the combinations and relationships and getting sun.

The game afterwards was Stabaek at home, if I remember correct. I remember I had a chance and hit really well, but shot in the middle of the target. I felt something stuck in me. But then something happened when the team trained at Lubbenes the week after, Molde's training ground with grass, since we were going to meet Brann, the top team at the table and that played on grass, and they had hardly let in any goals that season.

I remember it was frustrating as a young striker, everything goes against you on training. I was alone with the keeper and the bar, got crosses from Ole Gunnar [Solskjaer], but I missed on every opportunity. I remember Ole then said ‘I think you start this game, so just be ready’, I had not had the best training week, but then it was good atmosphere in the room that I shared with Hestad. And I remember from the warm-up that I felt pretty light,

I remember me and Kristoffer Haugen, the newcomer from Viking, playing a little, and Grandma and Grandpa were in the stands. They stood with the Molde fans, I had fixed tickets there and it was sunny outside and then the match started then, and it went as it went.

On learning from Ole Gunnar Solksjaer 
Before that game [between Brann and Bergen], Solskjaer and I did some practice on finishing. Not just crosses. I remember he taught me some easy rules.

The first one, was on touch. That I don’t use too much power and trying to destroy the goal or the goalie with ball. I think that I was thinking about doing that and it was something new that he told me. I trained a bit on that, but without scoring. But at least I had it in my head after that training session.

That was something he taught me in the days before that game and he has taught me a lot to be calm, and also be on your toes and come to those situation where the ball is coming. It is then you have the chance to score. He deserves a lot of credit for teaching me that.

On scouts being in the crowd watching him after his four-goal breakthrough match
No, I had no clue [that scouts were watching]! And, when you have a look and listen to the interview I did after the match, I smiled a lot, and they managed to get me to say ‘it was fun having people there watching me’, but I actually didn’t know.

On how he has chosen his next club so far in his career
You’ve got to time how good you are, how good the club is, the people there, how they take care of you, how they help you evolve. There is a lot of factors and I remember when we discussed Salzburg and different clubs we figured out very early that Salzburg was the best option.

And I’ve always thought ‘I can’t overrate myself’. That has always been important to me, saying ‘yes, I’m good, but there’s a lot of good players out there’ so that has always been very important to me, to not think that I’m better than I actually am.

I’m feeling very well, and yes, it’s been like a dream, but there have also been matches in the past that haven’t been that good, so it hasn’t been perfect.  But I’ve had some very good years. Today I’m very happy, and I still have very good people around me, if not better, so I’d say this is just the beginning and there is much more to come.

On Norway’s new golden generation
It’s wonderful. There are so many young talents, or, there’s young talents, but we can’t forget that we’re good football players as well – we should be allowed to say that now.

Sander Berge is playing in Premier League, [Kristoffer] Ajer has been playing in Scotland for some years now, so we’ve got good talent but we’ve also got good football players, we can’t forget that. I think that Norway has a lot of good years ahead, I know we have good years ahead, I’m sure of that, and now we have to show that for the national team as well, for our country.

On playing for his country
There is nothing more fun than to play for your country, that is one of the biggest achievements and I really hope that I get to experience a championship with the national team.

Everyone that loves the Norwegian national team deserves to experience that. We know how many football supporters there are in Norway and they really deserve that.

Erling Haaland was speaking exclusively to Eurosport. Head to Eurosport for all the latest news and views from the world of sport.