Alf-Inge Haaland, Erling's father, has provided an explanation for why his son chose Manchester City over a summer transfer to Real Madrid.

Prior to the summer transfer window, Haaland was the player who had the highest demand.

Nearly all of the top clubs in Europe were interested in signing the Norwegian, but in 2022 it became a three-horse race between Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.

The Premier League champions, led by Pep Guardiola, eventually persuaded Haaland to sign a five-year deal after they exercised the €60 million buyout clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract.

Asked why Haaland joined Man City ahead of other top clubs, Alf-Inge said in the ‘Haaland: The Choice’ documentary for ViaPlay, “We had established a first criterion which was: ‘who needs a No. 9?’ Manchester City had a 10/10 at this level; it was the perfect option.

“Real, we gave him more of a 5 or a 6 out of 10 because that is the way Karim Benzema currently plays." And we wondered if they were also going to sign Mbappe. "