Erling Haaland exclusive: Manchester City striker reveals the Premier League stars that shaped him - including someone unexpected

In an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Manchester City and Norway striker Erling Haaland tells Owen Hargreaves about the biggest influences on his formative years as a professional footballer. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie all left a lasting impression on the Premier League's leading marksman, while Haaland also namechecked an unexpected English star.

Erling Haaland, in a wide-ranging interview with TNT Sports, has revealed the Leicester City icon that helped mould him into the revered striker he is today.

Haaland recently eclipsed Manchester City legend Colin Bell's record of 153 goals for the club and the rate at which the Norwegian continues to find the net suggests many more landmarks will be reached for as long as he remains at the Etihad Stadium.

Only Sergio Aguero (260), Eric Brook (177), and Tommy Johnson (166) have scored more goals for City, and the 25-year-old is under contract until the summer of 2034.

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City are battling to claw back Premier League leaders Arsenal as we head towards the business end of the season, with Pep Guardiola's side still fighting on four fronts for silverware.

During a whirlwind start to 2026, however, Haaland was able to take time out from training to speak with TNT Sports' Owen Hargreaves about his early influences, how he maintains such high standards and what motivates him to stay at the very top of his game.

Haaland's childhood idols and influences

Haaland has often been portrayed as a once-in-a-generation phenomenon, yet he is quick to acknowledge the lineage of strikers who shaped his game.

Reflecting on his formative years, he explained that his admiration began with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose flair and Swedish roots made a lasting impression, and extended to prolific figures such as Sergio Aguero and Robin van Persie.

But it was Leicester's Jamie Vardy - whose record of scoring in 11 consecutive games propelled Leicester to the 2015/16 Premier League title - who also caught Haaland's eye as a teenager at his hometown club Bryne.

"I watched Zlatan a lot when I was young," Haaland told TNT Sports. "He was Swedish and nice to watch. Of course, [Sergio] Aguero I watched a lot from watching lots of City.

"Then there was also Robin [van Persie] in the Premier League. He was also left-footed, with crazy finishes. I remember one season he had with Arsenal when he scored around 38 goals. That was an incredible season, but there were many strikers.

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"Even Jamie Vardy... the runs he did were amazing to see. I've been watching many strikers.

He added: "It's a big part of my game to do runs in behind and to stretch the defenders to make more space for Phil Foden in between. This is a big part of my game.

"By always doing the runs, I don't need to get the ball. I normally don't get the ball, but against Galatasaray I got it, and it's a goal, which is good."

'Scoring goals can sometimes be easy'

There is, perhaps, a trace of footballing heritage in Haaland's game beyond his father Alf-Inge, who represented City, Leeds and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League across a decade-long period.

For someone so prolific in front of goal, the man himself has sought to demystify his extraordinary scoring record, suggesting that behind the spectacular numbers lies a surprisingly simple philosophy.

Reflecting on his development, he explained that his rise was shaped less by obsession and more by instinct.

In discussing how he learned to score so relentlessly, Haaland said: "There were a lot of things I found out I was good at, first of all.

"The way of scoring goals can sometimes be, don't get me wrong, it can be 'easy.'

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"Just put the ball in behind, run and score. When you look at the goal I scored against Galatasaray, it's the perfect example of this. But a lot of it comes down to myself.

"I've watched others, and watched goals from the likes of Thierry Henry. You take small things from some of the goals he scored, as well as a lot of different strikers.

"But you then kind of go your own way, which I think is a good thing. If you're young and if you want to become better... I've always wanted to become better... but I also just wanted to enjoy playing football when I was young.

"I didn't think, 'oh, I need to train hard, learn to do this or that'. I played football because it was a nice thing to do, and when you do nice things, you want to do it more.

"Then, you become good at it as well. I was lucky to have a good talent, good people around me, because that's also important and also to have the mentality to train a lot as well."

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'I'm living the dream - that's my motivation'

Haaland made clear that his greatest rival is not any opponent, but complacency.

Speaking about his daily mindset and sense of responsibility, he highlighted to Hargreaves the influence of his environment at City, particularly under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, whom he credits with maintaining the club’s demanding standards.

Reflecting on the source of his relentless drive, the former Borussia Dortmund striker added: "The motivation always has to be within myself.

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"How I approach every single day, how I wake up with the right mindset of, 'it's another day, I play for Man City'. I'm actually living the dream of so many 100s of millions of people in this world, so for me that's motivation in itself.

"To stand here talking about my goals and records is a way of motivating myself. The fact that people are looking up to me is also motivation in itself, so for me, it's about continuing, it's about not being injured, doing the right things, staying around the right people, and to keep going.

"When I talk about good people around me, it's not just my friends but the people at the club. I'm lucky to be at a club with so many good people, and with Pep who pushes us every single day.

"I'm lucky to have worked with Pep for three-and-a-half years. It's been an amazing time, as we all know, and no matter what happens in the future, we still need to keep pushing. I need to keep pushing myself, and others around me, to get better."

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