Erling Haaland Names Cristiano Ronaldo as His 'Most Important Inspiration'

• Erling Haaland has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo's influence on his career
• The Man City star credited the Portuguese for improved aerial prowess
• Haaland has closely followed CR7 while at Man Utd and Real Madrid

Erling Haaland disclosed that during his childhood, he consistently observed Cristiano Ronaldo, highlighting a particular quality he endeavoured to adopt from the Al-Nassr star.

Portugal captain Ronaldo has undergone a significant evolution over the course of his career.

Initially identified as a conventional winger who preferred dribbling and cutting inside from the left, the 38-year-old gradually transitioned his playing style into a prolific goalscorer, showcasing danger with both feet and his head.

Haaland has developed into one of the most formidable goalscorers in contemporary football, and the Norwegian acknowledged that during his formative years, he closely studied Ronaldo to glean the tricks of the trade.

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Haaland's thoughts on Ronaldo's inspiration

Haaland used to struggle scoring with his head and netted once every 11 times in his first 182 goals for club and country.

In recent years, the ratio significantly improved to one in four and the Norwegian credited his enhanced heading ability to learning from Ronaldo.

While admitting that Ronaldo has been his "main" inspiration, he added via GOAL:

"I remember always watching him on YouTube for his movements in the box: He used to make two or three moves before attacking the space he wanted to be in. It's kind of a duel in that situation with the centre-backs. It is important to time it perfectly. And the post must be good. If you don't get a good cross, you won't be able to score with your head."

Haaland on Ronaldo's key attribute

Haaland also revealed that he watched Ronaldo's movement inside the box and hailed his switch from a wide player to a striker.

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Speaking to TV2, the young forward said via Tribuna:

"How Cristiano moves, and how he has managed to develop his game. You remember when he played in Manchester United and the first years in Real Madrid, to become more of a striker in Real Madrid. It is incredible for him that he manages. But also how he scores the goals. It is the small movements in the box, and being able to deceive the defenders."

Performance of Haaland and Ronaldo in 2023

Haaland and Ronaldo, both prolific in 2023, have collectively scored over 40 goals for club and country.

Haaland is the leading scorer in 2023 with 50 goals to his name while Ronaldo has 46 strikes for club and country. Notably, 36 of these goals came for Al-Nassr, and was recently on target for Portugal as well against Liechtenstein.