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GOAL SCORER: Erling Braut Haaland has been substituted for a Borussia Dortmund goal. Photo: ANNEGRET HILSE / REUTERS
VG chose Erling Braut Haaland as number one on the 100 list for 2020. European soccer journalists envy Norway, the 20-year-old.
Finally, Norway has a male soccer player who is on the lips of many in the great world of soccer.
He made it to the top of VG’s top 100 Norwegian athletes list for 2020, but was defeated by Viktor Hovland in the battle to become the people’s favorite.
Jærbuen is currently training after a muscle injury and is expected to return in the new year, perhaps with plans to score some new goals.
– Rehabilitation has gone well and we hope that Erling will play against Wolfsburg again (first match of the new year, January 3), Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc told German Bild on Tuesday.
100-list 2020
VG has asked a group of football experts in Europe to express their opinion on Norway’s new favorite.
Nathan Gourdol, L’Equipe (France)
– In 2020, Haaland confirmed all the potential we saw in him. We cannot say that it is the prototype of the modern tip: it actually created its own style. His four goals against Hertha Berlin are for me the symbol of all the power he radiates. His physique makes him almost unstoppable when he’s safe, he’s almost like a robot.
– He will definitely be one of the top scorers in the next decade, if he makes the right decisions in his career. He has the profile to do well in England, but Dortmund is the perfect place for his growth so far.
Raphael Honigstein, Spiegel, The Athletic, BT Sport
– Haaland has been phenomenal, except in the two games against Bayern Munich, in which he fell a bit. I have no doubt that he will soon become a superstar. One or two clubs may try to buy it already this summer, but 2022 is much more realistic, considering the buyout clause.
Maximilian Schmeckel, Spox / Goal (Germany)
– Haaland has also taken the next step in 2020 at a huge pace and has worked to improve even more. Both in terms of physics and tactics, it has evolved week by week. Without the ball, they have adapted to the coach’s tactics remarkably quickly, and when Dortmund attack they have alternated between going into space and tight combination play. Of course, he still has a lot to learn from the fast passing game and could act a little more effortlessly, but there are plenty of signs that he will reach Robert Lewandowski’s level in the years ahead. How quickly they will find him in a world-class team remains to be seen, but his unique qualities indicate that he has a bright future.
Aleksandr Bobrov, Sport Ekspress (Russia)
– At a time when soccer decides in soccer, it is good to see players who love soccer and sports above all. Erling Braut Haaland is one of them. For him, football is still a game, it has not yet become a job and a fatigue. Play with a smile. Win and bring joy to the fans. I believe and hope that he will be there for a long time, probably soon in an even bigger club. But it is important that you be given freedom, no matter where you end up.
Daniel Taylor, The Athletic (England)
– Everyone in England follows Haaland’s progress with a kind of awe. He is already a top player. I would be very surprised if the best English clubs did not follow his development very closely. Obviously Manchester United have already wanted to sign him, but Manchester City also need a new boost in attack, especially if this were Sergio Agüero’s last season.
Vidir Sigurdsson, Morgunbladid (Iceland)
– The numbers say it all about Haaland. 23 Bundesliga goals in 2020. The player who has scored the fastest 15 goals in the Champions League. Six goals in seven games for the national team. All at the age of 20. That is incredible. Haaland is one of the most exciting players in European football, and with his strength, speed, technique and eye to score, both for himself and his teammates, all I can say is: The sky is the limit!
Anders Lindblad, Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden)
– What I’ve seen of Haaland is exceptional. It is the comet of this year in the world of football. Tough, explosive, with a lot of self-confidence and an extreme sense of where the goal is. You have every chance to become one of the best in the world. Above all, he seems to have the mental strength to become number one.
Maciej Kaliszuk, Przegląd Sportowy (Poland)
– In my opinion, Haaland has been one of the best players in Europe in 2020. I was surprised that he was not nominated as one of the ten in the selection of player of the year in FIFA. In my opinion, it could have been in the top five, maybe even the top three. The first two places should go to Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, but I’m not sure who number three should be: Messi, Neymar or maybe Haaland. He is underrated because he plays for Borussia Dortmund.
– Next year I hope you go to an even bigger club. His buyout clause of € 75 million is pretty low considering how good he is and how young he is. The future belongs to you. If he avoids injuries, he is a serious candidate to become the new king of soccer, when the Ronaldo / Messi era ends.
Jan Åge Fjørtoft, V Sport (Norway)
– Germany is Norway’s most important trading country. And with great respect to Petter Ølberg, who does a very good job as Norwegian ambassador to Germany, the most important ambassador that Norway now has in Germany is Erling Braut Haaland. “Der Norweger” has blown away soccer-mad Germany with a storm that makes the wind over Bryne look fresh.
– We have one of our players among the best players in the world at the moment. The way it has developed is an example of how well it can work when the head and the rest of the body work together. In addition, it is also the product of good and patient planning by himself and the team around him. Until now, they have always chosen the scenarios that he is most likely to develop. Initially, Germany football hopes that it will now shoot Dortmund closer to Bayern and a title.
