Manchester City star Erling Haaland was in scintillating form both on and off the pitch at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
The 22-year-old scored five goals in City’s 7-0 demolition of RB Leipzig – equalling the record set by Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano for most goals in a single Champions League game.
It took Haaland just 30 touches and 63 minutes to score his five goals. The prolific centre-forward has now netted a remarkable 39 goals in his first 36 appearances for the Citizens.
Read more: Erling Haaland reveals what he told Pep Guardiola after being subbed vs RB Leipzig
It says everything about Haaland’s elite mentality that he was disappointed at being denied the opportunity by manager Pep Guardiola to become the first player to score a double hat-trick in a Champions League fixture.
But with City fighting for the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup, Guardiola’s decision to withdraw his star player with half-hour remaining was a sensible one.
Haaland roasts Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards
Haaland was interviewed live on CBS Sports after the match and made everyone burst out laughing by immediately roasting Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.
Host Jules Breach said to City’s No. 9: “Congratulations on a phenomenal night in the Champions League and for you a special night, scoring five goals. How was that?”
“Well, it’s an amazing feeling,” the Norwegian said, before turning to Premier League legend Thierry Henry and saying: “I think you are the only one that knows how to score a lot of goals, so…”
Everyone on the panel burst out laughing. Even Haaland himself was in stitches.
Watch the funny clip here:
What a start to the interview!
Haaland is not just a world-class footballer, he’s also a very funny guy – sometimes inadvertently.
The rest of the interview is well worth a watch, by the way.
Haaland’s post-match chat with CBS Sports highlights how his focused mindset has allowed him to become arguably the best striker in world football.
He only cares about two things: scoring goals and winning football matches.
Guardiola explains why he substituted Haaland
On his decision to substitute Haaland before the forward completed a potential double hat-trick, Guardiola was quoted by the Manchester Evening News as saying: “If he achieves this milestone at 22, 23, it will be boring his life.
“He wouldn’t have a target to reach in the future. Here and everywhere. That’s why I make a substitution. I didn’t know about Messi with Leverkusen (when he scored five against them in 2012), but I make a substitution because normally when the game is over we want them to play.
“He scored five goals. The problem is every time we don’t score two or three he will be criticised. This is the reality.”
