Erling Haaland goes viral on Twitter with brilliant response to shopping tweets
The Norwegian forward responds after a recent photo of himself in Sainsburys supermarket ignited debate online.
Many have already anointed Erling Haaland as signing of the summer after he made the move to the Etihad for €60m (£51.1m) back in June. However it is the Norwegian’s own purchases that have hit the headlines since arriving in Manchester and he’s not shied away from the publicity.
On Monday the 22-year-old posted a selfie online, showing himself cruising the aisles in a British supermarket, before announcing to his 2.1 million followers: “(At M&S) Bought a bag of Percy Pig (don’t tell anyone)”
His grocery store exploits were the topic of much scrutiny online shortly after he moved to Manchester, when local sports journalist Tom Young spotted the club’s new signing in a branch of Sainsburys. Young shared a quick snap of the player online and the tweet received more than 15,000 likes.
Clearly making the most of his lucrative City contract, Haaland was pictured unloading a shopping trolly alongside two friends; splurging his £375,000 per week salary on a large bottle of tomato ketchup.
Haaland’s in on the joke
Young’s tweet may seem pretty harmless but it stoked up some debate online. What does Haaland’s shopping preference have to do with his ability on the pitch? Nothing, some would argue. But for excited City fans the sight of one of the world’s most coveted footballers buying condiments in a local grocery store only heightens anticipation ahead of the return of the Premier League in August.
Growing up as the son of a footballer, Haaland will have had more experience than most young professionals when it comes to dealing with the media. Showing his sense of humour, the striker takes aim at the relentlessness of coverage online of football’s biggest stars.