The year is 1997, you’re a 26-year-old Norwegian footballer who has just signed for Leeds United from Nottingham Forest and are quickly establishing yourself as a first team regular at Elland Road, your life is taking shape and your first born son is imminent. Not to mention the clubs upturn in form.
Life was very, very good for Alf-Inge Haland at Elland Road, even with his on the field issues with fierce rivals Manchester United baying for his blood following a nasty clash with their captain Roy Keane, as he found himself part of a squad that turned around the fortunes of Leeds United, with European endeavours at the fore in West Yorkshire.
In 2000, Haland joined Manchester City from Leeds, but his time in West Yorkshire was enough for the club to get into his blood… and his sons.
Earling Braut Haland is now a professional footballer himself, plying his trade for RB Salzburg in Austria, where he has lit the league up with goals, scoring eighteen goals in only his first fourteen appearances, including an incredible four hat-tricks.
The latest of his hat-tricks came last night in the players Champions League debut, a 6-2 demolition of Genk, prompting many Leeds United fans to insist upon the Striker being a prime target for the Championship club, especially should they reach their own goal of winning promotion back to the Premier League.
This may not be such a far-reaching request as at first thought, as Haland is a huge Leeds United fan and his quotes from 2017 make for excellent reading for The Whites fans.
Speaking with Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, the 19-year-old revealed his dream…
“I want to be the best. The dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds.”
But a personal goal of his is as follows…
“In addition, the goal is to be a better player than Dad was. I hope to get more international matches than he did.”
Should Haland’s form continue, it may be much bigger clubs interested in his services and he may well be priced out of a move to his beloved club, but there are many hurdles to jump before any such move would be feasible… if there was solid interest from either party.
What do the Leeds United fans think… would you love to see the Norwegian back in Leeds smashing goals in in the Premier League?
