Roy Keane and Erling Haaland have never seen eye to eye, with the Manchester United legend throwing plenty of verbal punches at the Manchester City forward over the years
Erling Haaland’s Norway take on England in the World Cup quarter final on Saturday(Image: Getty Images)
As England prepare to face Norway in Saturday’s blockbuster World Cup quarter-final, one name is dominating the build-up: Erling Haaland.
The Manchester City striker has rightly stolen focus after blasting seven goals in five games in what has been a blistering debut World Cup campaign. If the Three Lions want to reach the last four, stopping Haaland will be priority No. 1.
But it’s not only the Norwegian’s on-pitch exploits that are attracting attention. Off it, his long-running feud with Manchester United icon Roy Keane – who is covering the tournament for ITV – has once again come under the spotlight.
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The rivalry stretches back nearly two decades, beginning with Keane’s infamous revenge tackle on Erling’s father, Alf-Inge Haaland, during a Manchester derby in 2001. Since then, the bad blood between the two families has provided a compelling subplot throughout Erling’s time in Manchester, regularly spilling into the public eye through pointed remarks and fresh controversy.
From brutal on-field tackles involving his dad to stinging criticisms regarding his own playstyle, the history is incredibly thick. Let’s take a look back at how this captivating modern-day rivalry has unfolded.
Keane labels Haaland a ‘spoilt brat’
The war of words reignited towards the end of the 2023/24 Premier League season following a Man City victory over Wolves. Haaland had just scored four brilliant goals, but reacted angrily when Pep Guardiola decided to substitute him. His visible frustration on the touchline did not sit well with the watching pundits.
Roy Keane rarely minces his words when discussing Erling Haaland(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking live on Sky Sports, Keane took the opportunity to fiercely criticise the City forward’s behaviour. The former United captain did not hold back, branding the prolific goalscorer a “spoilt brat”. He argued that such petulance sets a terrible example despite the player’s incredible talent.
“We saw Erling Haaland yesterday being brought off, not too happy, behaving like a spoilt brat,” he said. “But because Man City win the game and he scores goals, it’s almost forgotten about.”
The ‘League Two player’ jab
The ‘spoilt brat’ remark actually came just weeks after Keane delivered an even more scathing review of the striker’s abilities. Following a tightly contested goalless draw between Man City and Arsenal in March, the Irishman took aim at Haaland’s overall contribution.
He shocked viewers by declaring that the Norwegian’s general play was severely lacking for a top-flight professional. “The level of his general play is so poor and not just today,” Keane said on Sky Sports.
“I think laying his stuff off, headers, whatever it might be… in terms of in front of goal, he’s the best in the world. But his general play for such a player it is so poor. Not just today, he has to improve.
Keane controversially branded Haaland “a League Two player”(Image: Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
“He’s almost like a League Two player, that’s how I look at him. His general play has to improve and it will do over the next few years. Being a brilliant striker is fantastic, but he has to improve his all-round game.”
The harsh critique forced several prominent figures within the sport to leap to the striker’s defence. Guardiola publicly disagreed with the assessment, firmly stating that Haaland was the best striker in the world.
Haaland: I don’t care
For several weeks after the “League Two player” dig, Haaland maintained his silence. However, following his aforementioned four-goal masterclass against Wolves, he finally decided to address Keane’s comment.
Instead of engaging in a lengthy war of words, the City star offered a remarkably blunt and dismissive response. Speaking to ViaPlay, Haaland simply stated: “I don’t really care that about that man, so that’s all right.”
By utterly dismissing the pundit, the Norway international demonstrated his absolute focus on his own footballing career. He proved that he refuses to be rattled by external noise, even when it comes from one of his father’s greatest enemies.
The horrifying tackle on Alfe-Inge
Roy Keane’s horror tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland remains one of the most shocking moments in Premier League history
The modern-day friction between the two men is deeply rooted in a brutal historical conflict involving Erling’s father, Alf-Inge. Back in 1997, Alf-Inge stood over a grounded Keane and accused him of feigning an injury after the Irishman fell over in the box during a clash between Man United and Haaland’s club Leeds.
Unbeknownst to the Norwegian at the time, the fiery Irishman had actually just suffered a career-threatening cruciate ligament rupture. Four years later, during a highly charged Manchester derby, Keane finally enacted his gruesome revenge.
The United captain launched into a horrifying, knee-high challenge on Alf-Inge that instantly earned him a straight red card. The sickening tackle remains one of the most infamous and widely condemned fouls in the entire history of the Premier League.
Keane later published an autobiography where he shockingly admitted that the dreadful challenge was a premeditated act of vengeance. He confessed that he had waited years to punish Haaland for that previous accusation of diving.
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