Erling Haaland matched Kylian Mbappe this week in terms of producing headline-grabbing European performances, hitting Sevilla hard the evening after Mbappe tore Barcelona to shreds in the Champions League. Haaland had taken photos with every fan who asked for one at the hotel before the game, according to Diario AS, during which he was incessantly asked by them whether he was going to be joining Real Madrid this summer.
After the game, within which he scored twice, Haaland was asked about the love he had received from the Madrid fans pre-game. “It’s always good that they love you,” he said, a simple message but one loaded given the ongoing speculation regarding his future. Haaland didn’t want to be relegated to the status of a mere alternative after all the love for Mbappe the previous night.
In fact, Haaland has been positive about Madrid and Spanish football in general for some time. He was vocal in his praise for Vinicius on Twitter, and his father has spoken highly about the quality of La Liga. Players like Marco Asensio, Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez have also all imitated his celebration when scoring goals, while Zinedine Zidane has been open about his admiration. All of this may be completely innocent, of course, but there does seem to be a strong degree of mutual attraction there.