Man City’s Julian Alvarez reveals shock team that is Haaland’s favourite club
Julian Alvarez, who plays for Manchester City, has disclosed the unexpected team that his striker friend Erling Haaland admires greatly.
Despite being born in Leeds, Haaland has played for several clubs across Europe, including those in Norway, Austria, and Germany.
With his previous stints at Bryne, Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, and Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has had many clubs to choose from when it comes to picking a favorite.
However, surprisingly, his preferred club isn’t even based in Europe.
It turns out that while playing with Leandro Balerdi at Signal Iduna Park, who is currently with Marseille, Balerdi had a considerable influence on Haaland’s decision.
Even though Leandro Balerdi was only with Dortmund for six months, he managed to persuade Haaland to develop an affinity for his former team, Boca Juniors.
This was disclosed by Alvarez, who is also part of the Argentine national team, during a conversation about their competition for the No. 9 position at Manchester City. Alvarez mentioned that Haaland is a good person.
Alvarez told TyC Sports: “[Haaland’s] a good guy.
“He helps me, we talk to each other and I try to observe him from the outside in order to learn.
“Ever since I’ve been here, he’s always told me he’s for Boca Juniors and he’s talked to me about La Bombonera [Boca Juniors’ stadium].
“I think he was with Leonardo Balerdi at Borussia Dortmund and that influenced him a bit.
“We’ll see if we can change [his allegiance to River Plate] little by little. It’s going to be difficult, but we’ll try.”
Alvarez was recruited by Manchester City from River Plate in the previous season, after the club beat Manchester United to secure his signature.
Interestingly, River Plate happens to be a significant rival of Boca Juniors, which is Haaland’s favorite team.
However, their rivalry has brought the two players closer together, despite the fact that Haaland has had a significant impact in the Premier League since his arrival.
Although Haaland’s transfer to City was a huge transfer saga, his impressive performance of scoring 27 goals in 25 Premier League games justifies his decision to join the club.
Meanwhile, Alvarez has had to remain in the shadows somewhat, but he has still managed to score 10 goals in all competitions and has played in different positions across the frontline, while Haaland has taken the role up front.
Regarding Haaland’s fascination with Boca Juniors, Balerdi was questioned about the situation last year.
The now-Marseille star said: “When I was at Borussia, Haaland asked me from day one who was the best team and is the club with the greatest history in Argentina.
“I drove him crazy with Boca, showing him videos of the fans, photos of the stadium and everything related to Boca. He became a fan of Boca and we are still in contact to this day.
“Whenever he sees a video of Boca, he sends it to me. He bugs me and asks me ‘when are we going?’
“He asked me to send me a Boca jersey number nine. He really is a real fan.”
Man City’s Julian Alvarez reveals shock team that is Haaland’s favourite club
