Erling Haaland

[Deleted member 87819]

Looked at Karim Benzema's career and he's been their first choice striker for 12 years and won every trophy going at club level. Their pitch to Haaland will surely be "you could lead the line for Real Madrid for the next 10 years, the chance might never come again."

If that’s the reasoning, he would go to Barcelona for whatever they offer, not to Madrid. He goes to Madrid alongside Mbappe, not only do they eclipse each other but they will make sure that league remains as uninteresting as ever. No one cares about La Liga now, when there’s already minimal competition, let alone when Madrid is so far ahead of the rest. Madrid doesn’t make the same UCL noise as before. Some teams continue to have the brand and even great players but they represent the past, not the present. The global social media presence and general interest of even the most basic PL game now eclipses anything La Liga can generate. And with us he would be the poster boy of the best league in the world. It’s an unparalleled offer

 

[Dobsy]

What are they telling Mbappe? Even if he can play on the wing, I can't imagine these two wanting to play with each other. For the sake of their own legacy

I'm not sure about this. Surely they're just as likely to want to play alongside each other because they'll form a killer partnership. I'd be telling them both it's gonna be a front three of Vinicius-Haaland-Mbappe and that with that forward line they'll break records and win every trophy at least once over a 5 year contract.

 

[Dobsy]

Very true, but ego could play it's part.

Haaland I could imagine has a big ego, would he want to share the headlines with Mbappe if the latter signs for Real?

Haaland comes to us and he would be the main man and if successful he would be our figurehead.

If his ego is this massive do we want him at City? Bale Ronaldo Benzema coexisted at Real. Neymar Messi Suarez lasted for a while at least at Barcelona. Hoping that Haaland's ego is so giant that he can't do a handful of seasons alongside another world class player seems to me a bit desperate.

 

[Akira]

Any player with just one working brain cell would be brighter enough not to answer the phone when the scum come calling.....

I would say if I am a player I'd look at the past 'big names' United bought and see how many of them actually ended up regretting the move. Sanchez, Pogba and possibly Ronaldo comes to mind.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

If his ego is this massive do we want him at City? Bale Ronaldo Benzema coexisted at Real. Neymar Messi Suarez lasted for a while at least at Barcelona. Hoping that Haaland's ego is so giant that he can't do a handful of seasons alongside another world class player seems to me a bit desperate.

Comparing Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema with Mbappe and Haaland is unrealistic. Ronaldo was clearly the protagonist. Same way Suarez was never as much a protagonist as Messi. Neymar established himself and then went away. He wanted a team for himself. And he never got along with Cavani, who was the main man at PSG before, and often struggled to share the spotlight with Mbappe.
Someone said “they would win all the trophies available” at least once. Well, besides the UCL, given the state of Spanish football, would it be a big deal? Who cares if PSG wins all the French trophies? Really, let’s assume next season Mbappe and Haaland are playing for Madrid. Would anyone bother to turn on the tv to watch El Classico? The outcome would be so obvious and the competitiveness so low. Watching Lewandowski’s Bayern play against Haaland’s Dortmund today is far more appealing and entertaining now. It would be even in Madrid’s own interest that Haaland end up at Barcelona instead. I’m not even joking

 

[Dobsy]

If that’s the reasoning, he would go to Barcelona for whatever they offer, not to Madrid. He goes to Madrid alongside Mbappe, not only do they eclipse each other but they will make sure that league remains as uninteresting as ever. No one cares about La Liga now, when there’s already minimal competition, let alone when Madrid is so far ahead of the rest. Madrid doesn’t make the same UCL noise as before. Some teams continue to have the brand and even great players but they represent the past, not the present. The global social media presence and general interest of even the most basic PL game now eclipses anything La Liga can generate. And with us he would be the poster boy of the best league in the world. It’s an unparalleled offer

Hmm, not sure I agree on Barcelona. Might not have CL, won't be able to offer him top money like Real will. I still think that Real offer is more compelling.

I don't accept the point about Madrid representing the past. All their stars are running on fumes and they still got to the CL semi final last season. They're sat on a pile of money and can rebuild.

Likewise on La Liga. I accept nobody cares about Getafe vs Levante but the idea that "even the most basic PL game eclipses anything La Liga can generate" ... come on, Gus, it's just not true. If social media presence is important to Haaland, Real Madrid can make just as compelling a case as City.

 

[Keeper!]

If his ego is this massive do we want him at City? Bale Ronaldo Benzema coexisted at Real. Neymar Messi Suarez lasted for a while at least at Barcelona. Hoping that Haaland's ego is so giant that he can't do a handful of seasons alongside another world class player seems to me a bit desperate.

I think we are at the stage where we do need a bit of attitude, especially in the champions league, maybe the final bit of the jigsaw to win it?

 

[Dobsy]

Comparing Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema with Mbappe and Haaland is unrealistic. Ronaldo was clearly the protagonist. Same way Suarez was never as much a protagonist as Messi. Neymar established himself and then went away. He wanted a team for himself. And he never got along with Cavani, who was the main man at PSG before, and often struggled to share the spotlight with Mbappe.
Someone said “they would win all the trophies available” at least once. Well, besides the UCL, given the state of Spanish football, would it be a big deal? Who cares if PSG wins all the French trophies? Really, let’s assume next season Mbappe and Haaland are playing for Madrid. Would anyone bother to turn on the tv to watch El Classico? The outcome would be so obvious and the competitiveness so low. Watching Lewandowski’s Bayern play against Haaland’s Dortmund today is far more appealing and entertaining now. It would be even in Madrid’s own interest that Haaland end up at Barcelona instead. I’m not even joking

La Liga being relatively easy until Barcelona and Atletico recover . . to some extent could that not be argued as a selling point?

"You can rack up a few domestic trophies almost guaranteed here. This is where Ronaldo and Messi set their records. Why go to Manchester and get the shit kicked out of you by the likes of Phil Bardsley?" That kind of vibe.

I just don't buy the idea that La Liga is so much less of a compelling attraction than EPL.

I've said in another post that if Haaland's ego is so massive that he can't play in the same team as Mbappe and expects City to be "his" team then we shouldn't sign him. Or anyone like that.

 

[Dobsy]

I think we are at the stage where we do need a bit of attitude, especially in the champions league, maybe the final bit of the jigsaw to win it?

I hadn't thought of it like that as Pep is so focused on the team ethic but maybe there's something in that.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

Hmm, not sure I agree on Barcelona. Might not have CL, won't be able to offer him top money like Real will. I still think that Real offer is more compelling.

I don't accept the point about Madrid representing the past. All their stars are running on fumes and they still got to the CL semi final last season. They're sat on a pile of money and can rebuild.

Likewise on La Liga. I accept nobody cares about Getafe vs Levante but the idea that "even the most basic PL game eclipses anything La Liga can generate" ... come on, Gus, it's just not true. If social media presence is important to Haaland, Real Madrid can make just as compelling a case as City.

Barcelona is two points behind a CL spot. They will get there. I have no doubt about it.
Financially, there is a delusion here that goes both ways. First, the people who think Madrid can do just about anything. Second, the people who underestimate Barcelona’s ability to engineer the funding for certain deals. I didn’t say that Madrid represents the past. But they could easily bea new AC Milan for some years unless the environment in which they are doesn’t change. AC Milan continued to have big players and young talent, that wasn’t the issue. Having money and rebuilding doesn’t fix the environment. It’s why PSG’s project has a ceiling. We already had a “Haaland and Mbappe playing together in a one team league“. It was Neymar and Mbappe playing together at PSG.
Here is how La Liga is irrelevant now. This weekend we will see the 2nd place in the PL face the 3rd place. Liverpool vs Chelsea. Now take a 2nd vs 3rd game in La Liga. Betis vs Sevilla. Who is watching that? Or even Madrid vs Betis or Madrid vs Sevilla? I’ll watch it but I watch anything. It’s not an event. Tottenham vs United (6th vs 7th) gets the world talking. I’ve already said, maybe that won’t last. La Liga had Ronaldo vs Messi for years and it was the greatest show on Earth. The moment Ronaldo left, even putting on his best, Messi alone still couldn’t hold the same interest.