Thanks, son! Haaland says being a father has put him in the best form of his career
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Erling Haaland thanked his son for helping him to be in the form of his life after making it 18 goals in 11 games for club and country by scoring the winner for Manchester City on Sunday.
Haaland muscled his way through Brentford’s defense and drilled a low shot into the net for the early goal in City’s 1-0 victory.
The striker has scored nine goals in seven games for City in the Premier League, three in two games in the Champions League, and six in two games for Norway — including a five-goal haul against Moldova.
Asked if he was in the best form of his career, Haaland said: “You can say so, I’ve never felt better than I do now.”
The 25-year-old Haaland became a father for the first time in December and he credited his son for his prolific form.
“You can be physically ready but you need to be mentally ready as well,” Haaland said. “And to be honest, with a kid, it makes me even better because I actually disconnect more than ever.
“I don’t think of football at all, which sometimes, when you are younger, you think of this and that. You worry a little bit about things. But when I go home, I relax even more. I think I need to give a shout-out to my son.”
Haaland was especially happy with the nature of his goal, which saw him run onto Josko Gvardiol’s lofted ball behind Brentford’s defense, use his power to shrug off center back Sepp van den Berg and then round Nathan Collins before slotting home in the ninth minute.
Van den Berg was physical with Haaland early in the game and that might not have helped Brentford’s cause.
“It helps me because, to be honest, I was a bit tired before the game and I was thinking it’s going to be a tough game but then after 10 seconds he started pushing me and he started motivating me,” Haaland said. “So all praise to him, he made me want to do that.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer