Erling Haaland sends heartfelt message amid Man City exit blow
Erling Haaland has taken to social media to send a poignant message, after a confirmed Manchester City exit.
The Norwegian striker played 83 minutes as City beat Bournemouth 3-1, boosting their hopes of Champions League qualification.
Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva, and Nico put Pep Guardiola’s side three goals ahead, with Daniel Jebbison grabbing a late consolation for the Cherries.
Haaland missed seven games for Man City with an ankle injury, but hasn’t yet scored in the three appearances since his return.
Haaland bids farewell to Man City legend
Haaland gave up a penalty during Man City’s defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, something which was incredibly out of character for such a confident individual.
The 24-year-old hasn’t been at his absolute best all season, but has still managed to score 21 goals in the Premier League, which is no mean feat.
During his time in Manchester, the former Dortmund man has struck up quite the partnership with Kevin De Bruyne, who played his last City game at the Etihad against Bournemouth.
To celebrate the occasion, Haaland took to Instagram (21 May) to post a photo of himself and De Bruyne, with a crown on the Belgian’s head and a massive flag reading ‘King Kev’ in the background.
The forward paid tribute to the 33-year-old in the caption, which read: “What a player, thank you for everything @kevindebruyne.”
Premier League ‘working out’ Haaland
To say that Premier League defenders have worked out how to play against the big Norwegian would be a bit of a stretch, considering he’s scored over 20 Premier League goals this season.
However, he definitely hasn’t been as prolific this campaign as in previous ones, when he was effectively scoring a goal a game.
| Season | Games | Goals |
| 2024/25 | 30 | 21 |
| 2023/24 | 31 | 27 |
| 2022/23 | 35 | 36 |
It is true that Guardiola’s side as a whole have dropped off, which is one of the reasons Man City are interested in Florian Wirtz, as well as Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan.
Despite this, it is not unrealistic to expect more from Haaland, considering what he has produced in the past.
It could simply be the case that the forward is not 100% fit, and with a summer’s break he will come back fit and firing.
From the outside though, it does seem as if Haaland has lost his element of surprise that caught so many defenders out in his debut Premier League season, with teams now understanding how to deal with him.