Hector Kyprianou says Erling Haaland was furious with his teammate for trying to swap shirts during a clash between Cyprus and Norway.
In an interview with The Posh, the Peterborough United midfielder recalled how Haaland reacted to the incident during his nation’s 4-0 victory against the Cypriots during a Euro 2024 qualifier in October.
Hector Kyprianou says Erling Haaland was raging at his teammate for trying to swap shirts mid-game
Since the 23-year-old burst onto the scene for RB Salzburg, his desire to win at all costs, similar to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has always been highlighted.
Ally McCoist criticised the 23-year-old’s furious reaction to Simon Hooper’s much-discussed controversial decision against Tottenham Hotspur to call play back for a foul after Jack Grealish was in a one-on-one situation. However, this was an indicator of the Manchester City striker’s relentless will to win.
Now, Hector Kyprianou has detailed how Erling Haaland was fuming at his teammate for trying to do a shirt swap with him during a contest.
“No, they are top competitors. I remember in the second half, it was like the 85th minute, a player asked Haaland, ‘Can I have your shirt at the end of the game?’ And he basically told him to f off, we are in the middle of the match and he is trying to win the match”, he told The Posh.
“That’s when I realised these guys are serious, they don’t care about this sort of stuff. They want to win the game. So, I didn’t ask him!”
All Erling Haaland intends to do is win
As Hector Kyprianou stated, Erling Haaland is simply a top competitor and as a result, during a game, his full focus is on getting the all-important three points.
Troy Deeney revealed in June that Jack Grealish privately told him that the Norwegian is quite “boring” in the sense that “all he does is train, eat, sleep, repeat.”
The treble-winner seems to have always had a desire to reach the absolute top and especially for Norway, he is viewed as the main man to guide his nation past the finish line.
Ultimately, this elite mentality has been pivotal to why Erling Haaland has achieved as much as he has already and why he is and has been one of the best players in the world for the past couple of years.
If not for the drive Haaland possesses, he would be half the footballer he is today, as is the case with any world-class athlete.
