Soccer: Manchester City's Erling Haaland concentrating on team success rather than scoring records

Erling Haaland, the Manchester City forward, puts the team's success above personal glory. While he's shattering scoring records, he remains grounded and is committed to guiding the Norwegian national team to the 2026 World Cup. His recent journey into fatherhood has provided him with a renewed sense of balance and determination.

Erling Haaland may be on a record-breaking scoring pace, but Manchester City's prized striker insists he is focusing on team success as he prepares to face his former club Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday's Champions League clash.

The 25-year-old Norwegian has netted 26 goals in just 16 appearances for club and country this season, putting him on track to surpass his own personal best of 57 goals in a single campaign.

"I am in a good way (to breaking that) but I don't think of this. We need to focus on tomorrow and that's how my brain works. I need to think in the present," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Does he think Alan Shearer's Premier League scoring record of 260 goals is within reach?

"I have to ignore (records)," Haaland reiterated. "Thinking about records I can break is the last thing on my mind, I try to help the team win football games. That is my main focus."

He also scoffed at comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, saying "no one can get close to those two."

He similarly shrugged off manager Pep Guardiola's compliments about how humble he is.

"I am a Norwegian guy and I shouldn't think I am something because I am scoring goals," he said. "I am just Erling and this is something that will never change."

Haaland is also keen to take Norway into the 2026 World Cup. They last qualified in 1998, two years before he was born. Norway top Group I of qualifying and a win against Estonia on November 13 could secure them a berth.

"There's big, big few games for us," he said of the international fixtures. "The main goal of my career, (is) to take Norway to World Cup and now I have a good chance to do it. So, it's about taking the chances."

The striker also spoke candidly about how becoming a dad last December has brought him more "balance."

"Suddenly there's someone waking you up every morning," Haaland said. "It got me even more focused, because I can switch off even more; you need the balance between focusing and doing the completely opposite, not focusing at all."

Guardiola, who gave his squad the day off from training on Tuesday, emphasised the importance of managing the workload of players such as Haaland.

"I always try to organise the team to allow him to run as less as possible. He is so big and cannot play 90 minutes every three days," Guardiola said.

"I always think of (playing) every three days and manage to control the ball through the passes and can handle the game the way you want to - you survive. Less injuries also."

City are seventh in the Champions League table with seven points after three games in the single-league format.
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Source: EconomicTimes
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