Netflix footage shows Erling Haaland’s calm message to Man City stars during Champions League final
There were plenty of nerves in the Manchester City dressing room halfway through their first-ever Champions League win, but not at Erling Haaland’s locker.
City lifted the European Cup for the first time in the summer of 2023, but didn’t make easy work of it, winning just 1-0 against the unfancied Inter Milan, who had a number of chances to force extra time.
Before that, in the semi-finals, Pep Guardiola’s side had decimated Real Madrid with one of the greatest knockout performances the tournament has ever seen.
But with the nerves clearly apparent with the score 0-0 against Inter after 45 minutes, it was up to Haaland to settle things down.
In a clip from a new Netflix series charting the team’s 2022/23 treble success, the Norwegian can be heard as the leading voice in the dressing room.
“We’re gonna have this! We’re gonna win!” he’s heard saying.
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“Don’t think, it’s 0-0, don’t think. No worries. He will change it, don’t worry. Don’t think, relax.”
Even Haaland’s teammate Rodri looked stressed, but instead the Spaniard proved to be the matchwinner, scoring in the 68th minute, and he hasn’t lost a game since.
Explaining those crucial moments in the dressing room, Guardiola explained that it was time to move on from a poor first half.
He said: “Of course emotion is so important in the finals, the big personalities, the characters, but it’s how you approach the moment at half-time, how you overcome, how well you overcome.
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“It’s not a perfect first half because it happens, the people are human beings and they have the desire to do well, to achieve it, to win it, to lift it.”