Erling Haaland has revealed what he told Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after being denied the chance to score a historic double hat-trick against RB Leipzig.
The striker scored a record-equalling five goals against the German side as City romped to a 7-0 win at the Etihad to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Haaland’s astonishing night saw him net a first-half hat-trick, before adding twice more before the hour-mark.
That took him level with Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano – both of whom also scored five times in a single game of the competition.
With half an hour to go, it seemed like Haaland was destined to get his sixth, but Guardiola opted to substitute the Norwegian and bring on Julian Alvarez.
Given that City have an FA Cup quarter-final against Burnley on Saturday, it’s understandable why the forward was brought off, but that didn’t stop Haaland being gutted that he couldn’t net another.
Given Haaland’s insatiable appetite for goals, it’s no surprise he was still perplexed after being taken off with half an hour still to play.
Speaking to BT Sport, the striker was asked about what he had to say to his manager and his answer was brilliant.
Presenter Jake Humphrey said: “The final question – you’ve scored five, you’re starting to think double hat-trick in the Champions League and then the manager puts your number up. What!”
In response, Haaland jokingly shook his head and revealed: “Yeah, I told him when I went off, ‘I would love to score a double hat-trick,’ but yeah, what can you do?”
BT pundits Rio Ferdinand and Joleon Lescott then said: “It’s so you can stay hungry.”
Nodding in agreement, Haaland laughed and stressed: “Of course.”
Check out the interview below:
VIDEO: Erling Haaland reveals what he told Pep Guardiola after being subbed
While it was Haaland who rightly received most of the plaudits, City’s overall performance on the night deserves just as much praise.
Guardiola’s side were relentless in every sense of the word and their final goal – finished off by Kevin de Bruyne, epitomised what they can do to teams when they’re at their best.
VIDEO: Erling Haaland scores his fifth vs RB Leipzig
Though they had some luck – notably when Ederson survived committing a cynical challenge, City were ultimately more than deserving winners.
Guardiola has stressed that he will only be judged on his performance in the Champions League, but on the basis of this night alone, he and his team received an A star grade.
