Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is crossing his fingers that Erling Haaland will bounce back in time for the weekend after the striker hobbled out of Sunday’s bruising 1-1 draw with Arsenal due to injury. The Norwegian powerhouse shocked fans at the Emirates when he signalled to the bench after 76 minutes, complaining of sharp pain in his back. Guardiola had little choice but to hook off his star man, raising alarm bells just days before another relentless run of fixtures.
Ousmane Dembele was presented with the Ballon d'Or for 2025 at a typically lavish ceremony in Paris on Monday night, capping a remarkable redemption at Paris Saint-Germain for a player regarded by Barcelona fans as one of the worst signings in the club's history.
Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has finished ahead of big names such as Arsenal's Declan Rice, Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings. The Scotland international is ranked in 18th place after a stellar season that saw him score 12 Serie A goals and help deliver the Scudetto for Napoli.
Arsenal and Manchester City played out a dramatic 1-1 draw on Sunday, with the two Premier League rivals unable to be separated through 98 or so minutes. Erling Haaland had given the visitors an early lead, before Pep Guardiola remarkably decided to park the bus to try and sneak the win. Those efforts went up in smoke in added time as Gabriel Martinelli scored to clinch a point for the Gunners.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola seemed to take a leaf out of his great managerial rival Jose Mourinho's book with a park the bus-like approach, but it came back to haunt them in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal. Erling Haaland was at his ruthless best but was taken off surprisingly early on Sunday as Gabriel Martinelli cancelled out his opener in dramatic fashion at the death.
Harry Kane is chasing down a goal-scoring record set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland as he continues to make more history with Bayern Munich. The England captain was in fine form on Saturday as he scored a hat-trick in the Bavarian side's 4-1 win over Hoffenheim. This was Kane's ninth hat-trick since moving to Germany in 2023.
"Off the pitch I'm a calm guy that just wants to have fun and enjoy my life," Erling Haaland told Time Magazine in July. "On the pitch I want to attack like a Viking." The Manchester City striker's love for the Scandinavian seafaring conquerors is well known. He dressed up as a Viking at a Halloween party just a few months after joining City. And while speaking to the prestigious American current affairs magazine, he zeroed in on his fascination with them.
Mikel Arteta has backed Arsenal centre-back Gabriel to embrace the challenge of going head-to-head with Erling Haaland when the Gunners take on Manchester City in a huge Premier League clash this Sunday. The Brazilian defender and the Norwegian striker have clashed in the past, with their fiery battles becoming a storyline of their rivalry.
Erling Haaland has offered a blunt "I am British" response to questions on social media of why his accent has "turned". The prolific Manchester City striker, who has smashed another Champions League goal record, is a proud performer for Norway at international level. He was, however, born in the UK during his father Alf Inge's time in the Premier League.
Harry Kane is being backed to become a transfer stopgap for Barcelona, with the Liga giants expected to make a play for Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland at some stage. If England captain Kane could be lured away from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2026, then Barca would have time in which to generate the funds required to make their Haaland dream a reality.
Erling Haaland is being backed to rise above Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League goal stakes, making more history in the process. The prolific Manchester City striker has become the fastest man to 50 efforts in elite European competition, with Pep Guardiola expecting the Norway international to go on and set a new all-time benchmark.
Erling Haaland has become the quickest player to reach 50 Champions League goals, after he scored the opener in Manchester City's 2-0 win over Napoli. The Norwegian reached the tally in just 49 games, easily surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy's previous record. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid marksman reached his half-century in his first 62 appearances in the competition.
Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over 10-man Napoli on Thursday. Despite dominating the ball in the early stages, the visitors quickly became content to sit in a low block, soaking up City pressure before looking to hit on the counter. After a long range effort from Tijani Reijnders stung the gloves of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Gianluigi Donnarumma was called into action to stop a Sam Beukema header from a Napoli corner.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed he shares an unlikely friendship with Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, which has even more unlikely origins. The journalist made contact with the striker when his career was in its infancy, and their bond grew stronger due to a shared passion away from matters on the pitch and in the rumour mill.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has paid tribute to "fantastic" Erling Haaland, revealing he has already built a strong relationship with his new Manchester City team-mate. The goalkeeper moved to City from Paris Saint-Germain in a £26 million (€30m/$35m) deal on transfer deadline day, replacing long-term No. 1 Ederson after the Brazil international joined Fenerbahce.