Erling Haaland has admitted Manchester City’s all-conquering season exceeded his expectations - as Pep Guardiola’s squad showed off their silverware on Monday evening.
City turned Manchester blue with an open-top bus parade in the city centre to cap a near-constant knees-up since their Istanbul triumph on Saturday night. They have become the second team in history to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season, with rivals Manchester United also doing so in 1999.
Norway striker Haaland, scorer of 52 goals in the season - and a record 36 in the Premier League - said: "I didn’t expect the season to be so good."
After beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday, City stars were up past dawn at their team hotel celebrating with a DJ, before flying to Manchester on Sunday.
Then City showed they are 24-hour party people and up for more celebration as a group of players including Haaland, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and John Stones jetted to Ibiza on a private jet on Sunday.
They lived it up in a 10-hour party staying out until 6.30am, before jetting home for Monday night’s parade. Kalvin Phillips, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, and Kyle Walker were all spotted in Ibiza.
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Euro champs City bagged their fifth Premier League in six seasons and an FA Cup win before scraping past Inter 1-0 at the Ataturk Stadium. No fewer than five open-top buses paraded through town, postponed by a "biblical" deluge.
Haaland said: "I didn’t expect it to be this good! I still expected to perform. I came into a team who won the Premier League the previous two years so to come here and perform I knew I was going to do. I was confident and also really happy, smiling a lot and enjoying myself."
Haaland says only now will he reflect on his astonishing scoring exploits in his first season at City. The former Borussia Dortmund striker says he is aware of the records he has broken including Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s 34-goal Premier League hauls.
"I am happy and humble," he said. "I know about it. I will feel it and understand it more after the season. I will think about what I have been doing.
"I really appreciate the support throughout the season and since I came here. It is important to appreciate people coming and supporting home and away. It is a really nice connection and I am enjoying it."
Boss Guardiola didn’t go on the Ibiza jolly. Kevin De Bruyne, Stefan Ortega and captain Ilkay Gundogan went for a Chinese meal in Manchester. Gundogan is out of contract later this month and is yet to decide his future, with Barcelona interested in his services.
