Erling Haaland's Dad 'Forced' Him To Chase 'Dream' Different Career to Football

Manchester City and Norway forward Erling Haaland says he was "forced" to play a sport growing up because it was his father's "biggest dream" to see him turn professional.

Haaland, who is widely regarded as one of the best players in world football, took part in a number of sports as a child, including track and field.

In fact, when he was just five years old, the Norwegian broke the world record for the longest standing long jump for his age, leaping an impressive 1.63m.

Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, is known to have introduced his son to several other sports, including cross-country skiing and handball.

"Norway’s handball manager wanted him to play handball. I thought it was nice to play tennis and handball next door," Alf-Inge told Manchester City's official website.

“Versatility is important. You get to develop completely different sides of the body, and that can be positive no matter what you do.”

Haaland was a keen sportsman growing up. Image credit: Getty

Even as a child, Haaland's raw athleticism was there for all to see. However, he struggled to get to grips with a golf club.

Speaking to Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on a recent episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Haaland admitted Alf-Inge's "biggest dream" was for him to play professional golf for a living.

“You know, it’s actually funny because his biggest dream was me becoming a professional golfer. That was his biggest dream," said Haaland.

“So when I was 10, he forced me to start on golf. So I played golf every week from when I was 10 to 13.”

Alf-Inge also had a strict side. "You never see me playing with gloves," Erling said on the podcast. "It’s because my father would hit me if I did. So I’m a bit old school as well, that’s why I like it.”

When Erling was still playing for Norwegian side Molde, Alf-Inge was playing a round of golf with Spurs and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood when he predicted great things for his then-17-year-old son.

Haaland during his days at Molde. Image credit: Getty

Speaking to talkSPORT in 2022, Sherwood began: "I remember playing golf with Alfie, his dad, in Spain about five years ago. He said, 'Have you seen my boy play?'"

"Dads, you know what they're like, they can be biased. I've seen a lot of it when I bring young players through. He said, 'The boy's got everything!' And I thought, hmm. I hadn't heard of him at the time.

"I was a little bit embarrassed because he [Alf-Inge] said people are chasing him all over the world," added Sherwood. "One thing his dad had which he's obviously given to the boy is a mentality and a drive and a determination to get better to win - and he's carrying that."

Haaland has gone on to achieve great things in the game. Earlier this month, he became the fastest player to join the Premier League 100 goals club.

The 25-year-old, who also reached 10, 25 and 50 goals quicker than anyone else in Premier League history, scored his 100th with a 17th-minute strike in City's dramatic 5-4 win over Fulham.

It took the Norwegian just 111 matches to reach the century, beating Alan Shearer's long-standing record of 124 matches.