Sourcing steaks, ice baths & daily home physio sessions: Erling Haaland reveals secrets behind incredible Man City form on new YouTube channel

Haaland has offered fans an insight into what his life is really like at a time when he is scoring goals like never before. The Norwegian struck for the 12th consecutive game for club and country by helping fire City to victory over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, bagging his 15th goal in just 11 matches for Pep Guardiola's side this season. He has been in even more terrifying form for his country, scoring nine times in his last three matches for Norway to take his country to the brink of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 - before Haaland was born. 

"People always see the matches, the goals, the celebrations — but not the hours that go into being ready for all of that," Haaland said on the launch of his official YouTube channel. "This video shows the routine, the food, the recovery, the small details that matter. It’s a bit of who I am away from the pitch, and I hope people enjoy seeing that side."

In his first video, which premiered on Thursday, the striker indulges in his biggest passion beyond football: food. Haaland begins the day with a cup of coffee, which he calls "a super food...if you do it right". His secret is to serve the coffee with raw (unpasteurised) milk and maple syrup "to protect the caffeine with fat and sugar". He chows down a breakfast of eggs and freshly delivered sourdough bread before welcoming City's sport therapist Mario Pafundi around for a massage and light gym work.

The pair work on maintaining the flexibility in Haaland's groin and hips, which are vital to maintaining his power and ability to score superhuman goals such as his scorpion kick against Sparta Prague or his outrageously acrobatic strike against Borussia Dortmund. "I need to have good flexibility to score these crazy goals so this is very important," he says. Pafundi adds: "His flexibility added to his power is the best combination for an athlete. Unbelievable."

While Pafundi works on his muscles, Haaland rests his head on "the best ball ever" - the one from the 2023 Champions League final when City beat Inter in Istanbul to complete the treble.

On his way to training at the City Football Academy, Haaland drops in on a local farm to source raw milk and the finest quality meat, buying tomahawk, rib-eye and fillet steaks. "I like fatty steaks the most," he explains. Later that evening he will brave the infamous Manchester rain to cook the meat on his outdoor barbecue.

After taking viewers inside a typical day for him at City's training ground and a rainy team training session in which he jokes around with John Stones, Haaland heads home to prepare dinner. First he salts the steaks as he stresses: "You need to feel it, you need to touch it, you need to have a good steak crust."

But before sitting down to eat he jumps in an ice bath and then the sauna, two rituals crucial to his recovery. He does this combination four to five times per week. Then comes the best part of his day. 

"Oh my god, he eats so much," says partner Isabel, who met Haaland while playing football for their hometown club Bryne. "Everything is about the next meal. What shall we eat, what shall we make?" Haaland agrees. "I love food," he smiles. "I live to eat food. No matter what happens in the day, this is the best moment."

City visit Aston Villa on Sunday, when Haaland will be looking to equal his longest run of scoring in consecutive Premier League games. Haaland scored in seven successive league matches between August and October 2022 and if he can hit the target at Villa Park he will be within four games of levelling Jamie Vardy's league record of scoring in 11 league matches in a row.

Vardy surpassed the marker previously set by Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2015, the same season the English striker fired Leicester City to their miraculous Premier League title success. And if Haaland can chase down the Englishman, it will make for excellent content for a future episode of his YouTube channel.