Erling Haaland doesn’t just score goals.
He devours them.
Defenders bounce off him. Goalkeepers guess and still fail. Records fall with mechanical regularity. But even football’s most ruthless No.9 wasn’t born in a lab.
He was built.
And like every superstar, he once had idols.
Speaking to TNT Sports, the Manchester City striker opened up about the forwards who inspired him long before he was smashing Premier League records — and the list reveals exactly how the Norwegian phenomenon was shaped.
Not surprisingly, football was always in his blood. Haaland was born in 2000 — the same year his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was playing in the Premier League and beginning his time at Manchester City. Growing up with a top-flight professional as a father gave Erling rare access to elite football from day one.
But while his dad laid the foundation, Erling’s imagination was captured by the killers in front of goal.
“I watched Zlatan a lot when I was young,” Haaland revealed. “He was Swedish and nice to watch.”
That admiration makes perfect sense.
Zlatan Ibrahimović wasn’t just a striker — he was a spectacle. Power, arrogance, acrobatics, outrageous confidence. A towering Scandinavian forward who bullied defenders and scored the impossible.
Sound familiar?
Haaland’s game may be more stripped down and brutally efficient, but the physical dominance and belief echo Zlatan’s aura. As a young Norwegian watching a Swedish icon dominate Europe, the blueprint was right there.
But there was another name that hit even closer to home.
“Of course, [Sergio] Agüero I watched a lot from watching lots of City.”
That one feels almost poetic.
Agüero defined Manchester City’s modern golden era. The 93:20 goal. The ice-cold finishing. The 260 goals across a decade that turned City into serial champions. Haaland now wears the same sky blue shirt — and has already blasted in 144 goals since arriving in 2022.
Different styles. Same obsession.
Agüero thrived in tight spaces with low-centre-of-gravity magic. Haaland operates like a freight train. But both share the same instinct: when the chance appears, it’s over.
Haaland also pointed to Robin van Persie — specifically recalling one extraordinary season with Arsenal.
“He was also left-footed, with crazy finishes. I remember one season he had with Arsenal when he scored around 38 goals. That was an incredible season.”
Van Persie’s elegance was surgical. The Dutchman’s left foot delivered volleys and curlers that felt rehearsed by destiny. For a young Haaland — also left-footed — that lethal precision clearly left its mark.
And then there’s Jamie Vardy.
“Even Jamie Vardy… the runs he did were amazing to see.”
That might be the most revealing influence of all.
Vardy’s game wasn’t built on glamour — it was built on movement. Relentless, perfectly timed, destructive runs in behind. Haaland’s off-ball intelligence is one of his deadliest weapons. His ability to bend a defensive line, explode into space, and finish in two touches is textbook modern striker play.
Zlatan’s presence. Agüero’s instinct. Van Persie’s finishing. Vardy’s movement.
Blend them together — add freakish athleticism and a goal addiction bordering on obsession — and you get Erling Haaland.
Now, as Manchester City close in on Arsenal in another high-stakes title race, the Norwegian stands not as a student of the game, but as its dominant force.
The kids watching today? He’s their idol now.
But behind every unstoppable scorer is a kid who once sat in front of the TV, studying greatness, dreaming of becoming it.
Haaland didn’t just admire the best.
He absorbed them.
And then he became something even more terrifying.
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