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Everything you need to know about Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland!

Erling Haaland is a professional footballer from Norway who currently plays as a striker for Manchester City in the Premier League and the Norway national team. Haaland was born on July 21, 2000, in Leeds, England, while his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was playing for Leeds United. He grew up in Bryne, Norway, and started playing football at a young age.

In 2017, Haaland joined Molde FK, where he made his professional debut in the Norwegian Eliteserien. He quickly made an impression, scoring four goals in his debut match. He was then snapped up by Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg, where he made swift progress.

In December 2019, Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga after turning down a transfer to Salzburg's sister club RB Leipzig….and after smashing five past them in midweek, Leipzig supporters will be ruing the one who got away!

He made an instant impact on his arrival at Signal Iduna Park, scoring a hat-trick on his debut against FC Augsburg. Since then, he has gone from strength-to-strength as he continued to impress with his remarkable goalscoring exploits.

Haaland's performances during the 2020-21 season saw him announce himself as one of the best strikers on the planet. He scored 27 goals in 28 Bundesliga outings, finishing as the league's second-highest scorer behind Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.

He also scored 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League, finishing as the competition's joint-top scorer alongside Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe. His stellar form in Germany earned him a high-profile move to Premier League giants Manchester City in the summer of 2022, and his performances at the Etihad have since been mind-blowing.Haaland's playing style is a unique blend of traditional and modern target-man, underlined by his exceptional physical abilities and precision finishing. He stands 6'4 tall and boasts amazing speed, strength, and agility, making him a nightmare opponent for any defence. He's also a great finisher with both his feet and his head, and is capable of scoring goals from nothing.

To conclude, Erling Haaland is an incredible young footballer who is on course to be remembered as one of the best strikers the world has ever seen, while breaking numerous goalscoring records along the way.

With his talent and potential, Haaland is sure to rule the world of football for many

Here are 15 fun facts aboutErling Haaland you need to know…!

imago images / DigitalsportBorn to be an athlete! 🏃

Haaland has a very stong family background in the world of sports. His parents were both excellent athletes. Haaland's father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was also a professional footballer who played for some renowned English clubs like Leeds United and Manchester City during his career.

However, Haaland Sr. became famous for being a subject to one of the most infamous challenges in the history of football when Roy Keane produced a disgusting tackle in a feisty Manchester derby back in 2001.

His mother, Gry Marita Braun, meanwhile, is also recognised as a national champion in heptathlete in the 90s, while his grandfather was a well-known long-distance runner in Norway.

No wonder the kid's a monster!

AdvertisementCould've been a professional handball player 🤾

While Erling followed his father’s footsteps and became a footballer, Alf-Inge revealed in an interview that he ensured his son would try a whole host of other sports before choosing football. By 14, Erling had already had a taste of handball, athletics and cross-country skiing.

A natural athlete, Haaland excelled at a variety of sports growing up, he was an exceptional handball player, and was told by many coaches that he could make a career in that sport. His father later revealed that Norway's handball manager wanted him to play handball.

Thus, had things turned out differently for him in his formative days, he could have been a famous international handball player for Norway by now.

Getty ImagesA prolific jumper at five

Are you aware that Erling Haaland set his first world record at the age of five?

Now, we're trying hard not to believe the rumours about him being a Terminator, but these facts doesn't help in any way!

At five, most of us were busy watching cartoons, and playing video games..but not Haaland.

Despite his tender age, he was already training, taking part in multiple sports, and building himself to be a phenomenal athlete.

On 22nd January 2006, he produced a standing jump of crazy 1.63 metres!

It turned out to be a new world record, and 17 years later, that record still stands tall!

A world record-breaking jumper: at least, this explains some of the insane towering headers and freakish side-volleys we've come to see from him time and again.

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Was eligible to play for England

Needless to say, Haaland is the future of Norwegian football.

He has scored 21 times in just 23 games for the Drillos, and is the face of a young and competitive Norwegian side that narrowly missed out on qualification to the recent Qatar World Cup.

However, Haaland was born in Leeds and so could have been eligible to play for England. However, he emulated his father at both club and country levels by picking City and Norway, a decision that came naturally to him since he spent most of his youth in the Scandinavian country.

If the stars had aligned differently, Haaland and Kane would have lined up as a strike-pairing upfront, potentially firing Gareth Southgate's team to the elusive World Cup triumph. Defenders legs' would be shaking at that sight, wouldn't they?

Gujarat Lions will play two matches in Kanpur as per the original IPL schedule after the fixtures were confirmed by IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla on Sunday.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2016Gujarat Lions will play two matches in Kanpur as per the original tournament schedule after the fixtures were confirmed by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla on Sunday.There had been concerns over the floodlight facilities at the Green Park Stadium, but Shukla said that the “problem” had been sorted out. The Green Park Stadium has not hosted an international day-night fixture or an IPL match so far.”The problem has been sorted,” Shukla told ESPNcricinfo. “There were a few areas in the floodlights when the lux level was not adequate. We have now increased the number of bulbs and the brightness has been enhanced. [BCCI’s chief cameran SK Srikanth] gave the approval.”The venue will host Lions’ last two league matches on May 19 on May 21 against Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. Lions are currently placed at the top of the table with six wins in eight matches.

Sarah Taylor struck a majestic half-century to help England to a promising four-wicket win over an in-form New Zealand

Francis Kelly in Chennai11-Mar-2016England women 131 for 6 (Taylor 51) beat New Zealand women 130 for 6 by four wickets
ScorecardSarah Taylor struck a matchwinning fifty in England’s opening warm-up•Stephen Pond/Getty ImagesSarah Taylor struck a majestic half-century to help England to a promising four-wicket win over an in-form New Zealand, in their first World T20 warm-up match in Chennai.Compiled of reverse sweeps, well-timed glances and a few effective boshes through the leg-side, the dynamic wicketkeeper set the platform for victory following a lacklustre start in which England slumped to 0 for 1 after the first over.It was an encouraging, battling display for coach Mark Robinson, as he embarks on his first major tournament with the team. This match had not originally been on England’s schedule, as they stepped in at the last minute to fulfil the fixture due to Pakistan still awaiting safety assurances before travelling.The two sides will meet again tomorrow as planned, but Robinson was left heartened by what he saw on their first encounter.”I thought it was [an ideal game] in many ways, as it was close,” Robinson said. “You want it to be a tight game as you learn more.”We were a bit rusty in our thinking at times and adapting to the wicket, however, we got better as the game went on. And it was made even better by us winning.”The victory was all the more pleasing considering England’s tour in India has consisted of just one full training session before today, and has already come under scrutiny after the team was made to fly in economy class while their male counterparts were in business.”In a perfect world we’d have gone in economy plus, which does make a difference,” Robinson added. “But at the moment we don’t bring as much money in. Whether we should have the same comforts in an aeroplane, others can decide.”Our board treat us fantastically well so I’ve got no gripes whatsoever, and we’re just happy to be here, privileged to be here, in a fantastic cricketing mad country.”New Zealand entered the match hoping to demonstrate their title-winning credentials, coming off the back of a confidence-boosting 2-1 T20I series triumph against World No.1 Australia earlier this year.The 130 they posted instead showed a team vulnerable lower down the order, having reached the 11th over on 76 for 1 with little troubling them. Yet the score proved a much more challenging target under the lights, as the outfield slowed and New Zealand made good use of the wicket.Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine put on 75 runs together for the second wicket, launching an assault against anything not aligned to the fourth stump, as England’s bowlers struggled to find their accuracy with the ball.Only Katherine Brunt managed to shackle the White Ferns throughout, her forceful bowling too much for the batsmen to get away. It was an impressive return for Brunt, finishing on 2 for 15 from four overs in her first game back since missing much of the recent South Africa tour with side strain.New Zealand continued to accumulate runs with ease though, England eventually regrouping, as they grew accustomed to the pitch. Bates fell to Rebecca Grundy, her wily spin drawing a looping catch to Charlotte Edwards, prior to Tash Farrant toppling Devine with a straight one as she looked to accelerate the scoring.A late push from Amy Satterthwaite nudged the score along to a potentially defendable position, however the damage had been done by then.England got off to a terrible start in their reply, Amy Jones removed second ball of the innings, her attempted pull shot off Lea Tahuhu flying straight to Satterthwaite. A pause in proceedings for Katey Martin, who had been struck in the face by the ball while keeping, seemed to pacify New Zealand. Up to that point they had contained the batting pair of Edwards and Taylor, yet lost their thrust with Martin leaving the field.An over later and the top two T20I run-scorers began their fight back, whacking 14 runs on their way to a 75-run partnership. Although both departed, Lydia Greenway forced the issue with some experienced batting, leaving Natalie Sciver to score the single run required off the last ball of the match.

Steve Patterson again proved himself to be a reliable component of Yorkshire’s attack as Worcestershire struggled to avoid the follow-on at Scarborough

ECB/PA20-Jul-2015
ScorecardSteve Patterson took three Worcestershire wickets•PA PhotosSteve Patterson was the pick of the five-strong pack of fast bowlers as Yorkshire steadily built up a position of strength over Worcestershire on the second day of the LV= County Championship match at Scarborough.At the close Worcestershire had worked hard to reach 195 for 6 in reply to the Champions’ first innings score of 430 – and three of the wickets had been claimed by Patterson.Ryan Sidebottom, Jack Brooks, Tim Bresnan and Liam Plunkett may grab the headlines more regularly than the ever-reliable Patterson but his consistency and economy rarely desert him.And it was his length and line and inward movement that again stood him in good stead as Worcestershire fought gallantly but still lost wickets just when batsmen appeared to be well set.Only 19-year-old Joe Clarke, in his sixth match, really got established and he remained unbeaten on 76 to overhaul his previous best score of 70 made against Hampshire last week.Openers Daryl Mitchell and Richard Oliver safely negotiated the first five overs of the innings up to lunch and they had moved their stand to 32 before Oliver edged a drive at Brooks and was superbly caught by Plunkett moving smartly to his right at fourth slip.Patterson, coming on as second change, nipped one back to have Mitchell lbw for 14 the first ball after a short break for rain and a promising innings of 30 from Tom Fell ended when he edged Plunkett to Jack Leaning at second slip.Clarke built up his score in unflustered fashion but in a new spell from the Peasholm Park end Patterson struck twice to leave Worcestershire on 119 for 5. Brett D’Oliveira nibbled outside off-stump for Jonny Bairstow to take the catch and Ross Whiteley also edged to Leaning in the arc of slips.In rapidly fading light, Adil Rashid joined the attack and his long hop was struck for six by Clarke immediately before the players were off for an early tea and the loss of 16 overs. Three balls into the resumption, bad light caused a further four-over stoppage but the ground was then bathed in sunlight for the remaining 14.3 overs.Clarke completed a valiant 50 off 75 balls with two fours and a six but shortly before the close his 56 stand with Ben Cox ended when the wicketkeeper clipped Brooks low to Rashid at mid-wicket.Although Yorkshire were in a strong position at 357 for five off 88 overs when they resumed in the morning with Andrew Gale on 127, they still had to work hard to make it to maximum batting points.While Gale struggled to find his fluency of the previous day, wickets toppled at the other end, Joe Leach starting the slide with the dismissal of Bresnan before the persevering Charlie Morris chipped in with three wickets for one run in the space of 13 balls.Yorkshire were 391 for 9 in the 103rd over when last man Sidebottom joined his captain who raised the 400 for a fifth batting point by working Leach to the long-leg boundary.The innings was wound up by Jack Shantry who had Gale caught by Mitchell for 164 from 297 deliveries with 19 boundaries, Leach finishing with four for 139 and Morris three for 90.North Marine Road is a happy hunting ground for Gale who has now scored 815 in his last seven Championship innings at the venue.

USWNT star Sam Mewis is looking for a new club after NWSL side KC Current confirmed the 31-year-old's departure.

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Mewis leaves KC CurrentHas struggled with injuryLooking for a new challengeWHAT HAPPENED?

Mewis is on the move after a two-year stay at KC Current. The club have announced her departure and wished her the best for the future. Mewis joined the club in 2021 but has struggled for appearances due to continued knee problems.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Mewis is facing an uncertain future as she bids to return to action after a nightmare time with injury. The USWNT star has not played for the national side since 2021 after undergoing two knee surgeries in the last two years. Her last appearances for her club side came in two Challenge Cup matches in pre-season back in March 2022.

WHAT MEWIS HAS SAID

Mewis has spoken about her injury nightmare recently on the 'Snacks' podcast for Just Women’s Sports. The 31-year-old has said her current objective is to "get as healthy as possible" and hopes to get her knee back "as good as it can get".

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WHAT NEXT FOR MEWIS?

Mewis is now a free agent and will be on the lookout for a new club. Her top priority will be to regain full fitness after a lengthy time on the sidelines and get back to doing what she enjoys the most.

After winning his third Man-of-the-Match award of this IPL, Ashish Nehra said picking up that many awards in a single season of T20 cricket was not easy for a fast bowler

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2015Ashish Nehra won his third Man-of-the-Match award of the season with a spell of 3 for 28 in Chennai Super Kings’ three-wicket victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second Qualifier in Ranchi. After helping Super Kings make their sixth IPL final out of eight, Nehra said picking up that many awards in a single season of T20 cricket was not an easy task for a fast bowler.Nehra has taken 22 wickets this season, his highest IPL tally, at an average of 18.54 and an economy rate of 7.03. “I have got three or four Man-of-the-Match awards this season and that says it all, it is not easy for a fast bowler to pick up that many awards in one season,” Nehra told . “If you see stats-wise, then I have had my best season in the IPL. But I can’t just say that this is the best IPL I have had till date. Even in 2008 when I played for Mumbai Indians or for the Delhi Daredevils in 2009 and 2010, I was bowling really well. At that time obviously I was five years younger.”It is not that Ashish Nehra has changed. People are noticing it more because I am 36 and a guy at this age is doing something unbelievable in T20s. But I have been doing the same things that I have been doing over the last ten years. When you pick wickets, people remember you more.”Royal Challengers had made a solid start against Super Kings, scoring 23 runs off the first four overs, but Nehra’s double-strike in the fifth left them precariously placed. Nehra said dismissing the top order was a significant factor because chasing a score of 160 on the slow Ranchi pitch would have been difficult.”It was a very slow pitch and picking up wickets of their top order was crucial. We picked up Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, otherwise they would have scored at least 160. Chasing that much would have been really difficult. You could see that even chasing 140 we went till the last over. Once the ball got old, it was a much better pitch to bowl on for a spinner than a fast bowler.”Nehra’s three wickets included those of Kohli and de Villiers in his third over. “On a bad day the wicket delivery to Kohli would have gone for a boundary, but at the same time the ball which he hit for six, could have been nicked,” he said. “This is the first time in my life that I have had my wicketkeeper stand up to the stumps. I wasn’t too sure about that move. But MS Dhoni came to me and said Virat is stepping out because the pitch is slow and if he stood up to the wicket, it will stop him from stepping out. Dhoni came up for one ball and I got the wicket.”

Dan Ashworth has already decided on his first signing after being appointed as Manchester United sporting director.

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Man Utd set to raid ChelseaAshworth decided on first signing at Man UtdSet to join Red Devils from NewcastleWHAT HAPPENED?

Earlier this week, it was reported that United are planning to hire Ashworth as the club's new sporting director from Newcastle United. Ashworth has reportedly informed the Magpies – where he has been working as a sporting director for the past two years – that he has received a formal offer from the Red Devils.

Now reports that the 52-year-old has already decided on his first signing once he formally joins the club.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The report suggests that Ashworth wants to bring in Chelsea's chief analyst Kyle Macaulay to the club whom he considers to be a valuable addition to his staff. Macaulay joined the Blues last season when they hired former Brighton boss Graham Potter as their manager. Manchester United are also plotting a move to hire Ipswich technical director Sam Williams.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ashworth's recruitment comes as another significant development at the Manchester-based club since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS bought a 25 per cent stake in late December. Right after Ratcliffe arrived, they announced the signing of Omar Berrada as the CEO of the club from Manchester City.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Erik ten Hag's side, who are on a four-match winning streak, will be next seen in action against Luton Town in a Premier League clash on Sunday.

The Indomitable Lions continue with their push for a sixth Afcon title when they tackle the tournament debutants

Cameroon will be aiming to reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals when they take on Comoros in a Round of 16 match at Paul Biya Stadium on Monday.

This is how coach Toni Conceicao has lined up his team.

BackpagePix.Goalkeeper: Andre Onana

The 25-year-old has not kept a clean sheet in his last three Afcon games.

AdvertisementBackpagepix.Left-back – Nouhou Tolo

The Seattle Sounders defender has been a consistent figure in Cameroon's team and his inclusion was a sure bet.

Backpagepix.Centre-back – Michael Ngadeu

The defender played in all the group games without being substituted and starts in this crucial Comoros encounter.

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GettyCentre-back – Jean-Charles Castelletto

The 26-year-old former France junior international returns to start his second match of the tournament in place of Harold Moukoudi who is on the bench.

South Africa wept. Together, separately, on camera, off camera, with 40,000 people chanting or in the complete silence inside themselves, they wept. They wept because that was all they had left to do.

Firdose Moonda in Auckland24-Mar-2015Dale Steyn went down on the Eden Park pitch. AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Morne Morkel all went down on the outfield around him. When de Villiers got up, the other three stayed down. Even when their team-mates and then members of the South African support staff came to lift them to their feet, they would not move. Only when staying down became too painful too, they stood up.Then, with Morkel in Wayne Parnell’s arms, du Plessis in Amla’s, they wept. Together, separately, on camera, off camera, with 40,000 people chanting or in the complete silence inside themselves, they wept. They wept because that was all they had left to do.”We left it out on the field tonight,” de Villiers said. All of it. Every last drop of themselves. “That’s all I can ask of the guys. It’s obviously painful. It’s hurting quite a bit. We’re gutted.”South Africa did not hide the pain behind any bravado. They let their tears flow. Even the usually cool Amla allowed the ice to break. There was no shame in this defeat. There was tension, there was fight, there was honour but none of that means anything to South Africa now.”It doesn’t make me feel better at all, not at all, no,” de Villiers said when asked if he could take consolation in the epic competition of what has been this tournament’s best game. “We play this game to win games of cricket, to take glory home and make a difference to the nation, and we didn’t do that. We didn’t achieve that.”Was this the worst he had ever felt on a cricket field? “Yes,” he said. “But I don’t have any regrets about this campaign.”The actual analysis of what went right and what went wrong will be left for another day, or maybe even not at all given that many of the members of this squad will not play another fifty-over World Cup, but in the end, it came down to small moments. “You need a little luck. You need things to go for you. You need to take your opportunities. There is such a small margin between winning and losing,” Domingo said. That is what Domingo will have to remind his team more than anyone else.This time they were not knocked out because they conjured up a defeat from the cauldrons of certain victory but they fell into that tiniest of gulfs where the difference between winning and losing lies. Already Domingo has provided a steadying hand through a tournament of ups and downs, in which South Africa have surfed the full swell. They’ve been through the expectation, the success, the failure, the success and now the end. “The sun will come up again tomorrow like our coach said numerous times in this tournament,” de Villiers said.Domingo tried to say it again, by putting the emphasis on de Villiers and highlighting the character of the side. “I’m extremely proud of the way the captain has led the side. He’s done an outstanding job throughout this campaign. He’s backed up his talk with outstanding leadership and outstanding performances,” Domingo said. “And I’m so very proud of the effort they put in and the emotions that they left on the field. It’s testament to how much it means playing and how much trying to win a World Cup means for them. So if there’s any question on commitment, I think that can all be thrown out the window, because that is 15 men committed to cricket there.”But Domingo had to admit that those 15 men “are broken, there’s no doubt about it,” and that it was a “really, really tough loss for us”. De Villiers even took on the heartache of a nation, saying the team felt the pain of the people back home. “We so badly wanted to take that trophy back home, but I guess life moves on.” But right now he does not know where the road to recovery even starts.”I have absolutely no idea what to do from here on in. I don’t even know when we’re going home. It’s going to take some time to get over this,” de Villiers said. “As a captain, I’ll be there for the guys as much as I can, but there is nothing you can do about it now.” Nothing, because everything has been done. And this time even everything was not enough.

The BCCI working committee has decided to suspend all bilateral tours to West Indies, in response to the visitors pulling out of their India tour

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-20146:14

‘Potentially catastrophic for West Indies’

The BCCI working committee has decided to suspend all bilateral tours to West Indies, in response to the visitors pulling out of their India tour. India were expected to play five series against West Indies in the next eight years, including four visits to the Caribbean.While a BCCI release made no specific mention of any claim for damages, the Indian board will also initiate legal proceedings against the West Indies Cricket Board.The board statement also did not mention any action against West Indies players who participate in the IPL. The players were unlikely to be suspended from participation in the league, with franchises backing them.The working committee meeting in Hyderabad was convened to discuss the aftermath of West Indies’ pullout. The members unanimously felt that strong action needed to be taken against WICB in order to prevent recurrence of such an event.A working committee member revealed that the BCCI’s legal cell said that the bilateral agreement “has been breached” and the BCCI has “every right to claim damages”. This, according to him, made the decision easy for the committee. Another member revealed that the claim amount and the jurisdiction will be decided by the legal cell.It is understood that during the informal discussions during the build-up to the meeting in Hyderabad, some members had suggested that the BCCI suspend ties with WICB for a specific period. However, the committee was convinced that the abrupt manner in which the tour was called off deserved the harshest possible punishment. As an insider revealed “the manner in which the WICB put its hands up” during the whole standoff with its players which led to the cancellation of the tour midway made the BCCI believe that the bilateral ties should be suspended “indefinitely”.”At the moment, it looks unlikely that the bilateral series would resume anytime soon. It will be up to the legal cell now to see if and when a settlement takes place,” revealed an insider.