Erling Haaland’s girlfriend had 11-word reaction when he put Man Utd match on TV | Football | Sport

Erling Haaland has admitted he’s a keen football watcher in his downtime, though his girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen seems to have grown weary of how much the sport dominates their household. The striker offered a glimpse into his passion for the game during an appearance on The Rest Is Football podcast with Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, recounting how he tuned into Manchester United’s 1-1 draw at home to West Ham last Thursday evening.

When quizzed about whether he watches football, the 25-year-old replied: “Yeah, I’m a football fan, so I watch all kinds of football. Actually, yesterday, we were eating dinner, and I checked if there were any games. Man Utd, West Ham is playing. Let’s put it on. My missus said, ‘I’m so sick of football. We watch it all the time.’ And I’m like, yeah, that’s the reason why we are sitting here.”

Haaland has been dating 21-year-old Isabel for several years, with the couple having first crossed paths back in Norway during the striker’s spell at Bryne FK – his maiden club.

It’s rather revealing that Haaland’s own partner complained the football was on “all the time”, demonstrating the level of devotion the striker has to the beautiful game.

Whilst that might appear standard for a professional footballer, it’s not always the reality, as some merely regard it as a job and don’t maintain quite the same level of enthusiasm for watching it.

Arsenal‘s Ben White serves as a prime example, with the Premier League star admitting that he isn’t overly interested in watching the sport or keeping up with its narratives.

In contrast, Haaland clearly is, and this could well fuel his obsession with netting goals and shattering records as much as possible.

“This is what it’s like if you play with Messi or Ronaldo, his influence is so big,” Pep Guardiola commented last month when discussing Haaland’s quality.

“You see the numbers of that guy? Of course he’s that level. Messi and Ronaldo have done it for 15 years, but this is the level. The first goal, the way he shoots the ball, it’s like, ‘I am going to score.'”

“He has that hunger. It’s top. I said how incredibly coachable and manageable he is. I am tough sometimes with Haaland, but he is open-minded. He lives for the goals and sometimes the pressure cannot sustain 90 minutes, but that’s normal.”

With an impressive tally of 144 goals in 166 appearances for City thus far, Haaland will be keenly aware of the records within his reach.