Erling Haaland labelled 'shameless' after dive of the season contender in friendly against Barcelona

Erling Haaland managed to win a stoppage time penalty for Manchester City during last night's charity game against Barcelona, but his so-called 'dive' in the build-up has been labelled "shameless" by fans.

Two of European football's biggest clubs took part in a six-goal thriller at the Nou Camp on Wednesday in a game held to raise funds for research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

More than 90,000 fans watched on as former Barcelona goalkeeper and assistant manager Juan Carlos Unzue, who was diagnosed with the incurable neurodegenerative disease in 2020, received a standing ovation.

All funds raised through ticket sales for the match will go towards aiding ALS research.

In terms of action on the pitch, Pep Guardiola's side took an early lead in the charity fundraiser through new signing Julian Alvarez.

Barcelona pair Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie De Jong, who have both been linked with moves to the Premier League this summer, hit back to make it 2-1 before City youngster Cole Palmer levelled the scores with 20 minutes remaining.

Memphis Depay then put Barca ahead with a neat finish from close range. And then this happened.

As you can see in the footage above, Erling Haaland was running towards goal in the 97th minute when he tumbled to the ground following minimal contact from former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen.

Then, to the surprise of many, City were awarded a penalty thanks to Haaland's theatrics and Riyad Mahrez emphatically converted to make it 3-3.

Here's another angle of the incident.

Social media were quick to comment on Haaland's antics during Wednesday night's friendly at the Camp Nou.

One fan commented on the clip, saying: "Btw, that penalty Haaland won is one of the softest penalties I've ever seen. He genuinely took two strides before going down after the lightest touch from Christensen. If this was a competitive match, I'd be fuming."

Another wrote: "Nah that penalty has killed me. Haaland dived then laughed at the defender," while a third said: "Haaland that was so shameless man but I'll take it."

Thoughts on the decision?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter

Topics: Barcelona, Erling Haaland, La Liga, Manchester City, Premier League, Julian Alvarez

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_