Erling Haaland insists he is happy keeping out of the spotlight, and ready to let his football do the talking as he prepares for his Premier League debut with Manchester City.
Haaland will be the star attraction this weekend as he makes his Premier League debut following his £51m move from Borussia Dortmund at the start of the summer, with City travelling to West Ham on Sunday to open up their latest title defence.
Speaking ahead of that trip to the capital, Haaland says he joined City due to the attraction of playing in the Premier League, and he saw a side that were ready-made to supply him with goals. However, he insisted he will not crave the spotlight like other charismatic strikers he has looked up to — namely Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
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Haaland has been compared with the two icons, for his apparent confidence, his clear quality, and outspoken nature when giving interviews. However, Haaland says he doesn't need to seek out the spotlight, when speaking to Sky Sports this week.
He said: "I don't need this [the spotlight, like Ronaldo or Ibrahimovic]. I love to have a joke on Instagram here and there but other than that I like to relax and have fun. Basically enjoy what I'm doing.
"I'm a player that's hungry for goals, gives 100 per cent that wants to win every single game. As a person, I'm a quiet person, I love to laugh and have fun. But in the end, I'm a relaxed person."
Revealing why he wanted to move to City, Haaland said the allure of the Premier League was something he couldn't turn down.
"In the end it's about how your feeling is with a lot of things, how you feel," he said. "I'm looking forward to watching the stadiums, feeling the atmosphere, the rivalries. Fans against each other, it's something I like a lot.
"Also the feelings of the games, it will be tough, for sure, and it's the charming thing about the Premier League, it's the hardest competition. That's why it's the most popular league in the world.
If you look at my goal against Bayern [in pre-season], I saw this in my head many years [when watching City]. It was a bit like thinking how I can deliver on the pitch and in the end it was my feeling, how I can deliver and get the best possible way and developing more. I'm still young, only 22, also developing. The team here will be really good.
"I can get better on everything. If you think I'm good at one thing, you can always get better. I love every goal, doesn't matter if it's a tap in or long shot, every kind of goal has a good feeling, a feeling I want to achieve as much as I can."
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