Erling Haaland admits girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen is 'so sick of football' as Man City striker lifts lid on home life

Since arriving at at Manchester City in 2022, Haaland has been nothing short of sensational, firmly establishing himself as one of the world's elite strikers. The Norwegian star has been central to City's success, winning numerous titles including two Premier League trophies, the Champions League, and the FA Cup as part of a historic treble in his debut season. Individually, his scoring records are remarkable. Haaland set the Premier League single-season goal record with 36 goals in 35 games and achieved the most goals by a Premier League player in all competitions in one season with 52. He recently became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals, doing so in just 111 appearances. 

And away from the pitch, Haaland is in a long-term relationship with Johansen. They met as youngsters playing football at the Bryne academy in Norway, with Haaland revealing she made the first move. Isabel is also a footballer and has been a steady presence supporting him. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in December 2024. And while everything may seem rosy in their household, the striker has revealed they exchanged a few words over watching a Premier League match on TV.

Haaland told the Rest is Football podcast: "Yeah, I'm a football fan, so I watch all kinds of football. Actually, yesterday, we were eating dinner and I checked if there were any games. Man Utd-West Ham's on, let's put it on. My missus said, 'I'm so sick of football. We watch it all the time'. I’m like 'yeah, that’s the reason we are sitting here!'. So we watched it, obviously."

The Norway superstar was also asked about what it’s like to work for Pep Guardiola, and he was full of praise for the Catalan. Haaland said: "Yeah intense but for me people speak about genius and all these kinds of things. I think it's kind of genius. But for me the thing that surprised me, or not only surprised, but his hard work. He works harder than everyone. He's the hardest working in the club. He's the first one to come, the last one to leave and I think that also is what’s been taking him so far because of his hard work every single day. It's dedication. It’s motivation and also it's an intense way of seeing football and working with football I think. That’s the main thing."

Haaland added: "That's the reason that I also signed it because of conversations that I've had with the bosses and also the plan in the next few years, and that was something I wanted to be a part of. And yeah, I'm calm, I'm focused, and I'm really happy here, so it's a really good place to be for development. Also in the end, England, it's a football country, and I think it's the best place to play football."

Guardiola’s side travel to south London on Sunday afternoon to face in-form Crystal Palace, hoping league leaders Arsenal have dropped points at home to Wolves on Saturday evening. Palace have won 26 points after 15 Premier League matches this season which is their best-ever start to a campaign and double the total they had at this stage last season, but City have an excellent record at Selhurst Park - they’ve lost just two of their last 20 Premier League games against the Eagles, both coming at the Etihad.