Alf-Inge Haaland may have ruined his son’s chances of signing for Real Madrid in the future by taunting the club’s fans during Manchester City ’s Champions League semi-final.
Haaland was escorted out of a private box inside the Bernabeu on Tuesday night after aiming rude gestures at the fans seated nearby. He was reportedly swearing and had been throwing food in the direction of supporters.
The 50-year-old claimed the altercation started because supporters were upset with him celebrating Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning equaliser in the 1-1 draw. Responding after footage went viral, he tweeted: “Ok. RM was not happy we were celebrating KDB goal. Other than than that we had to move because RM fans not happy with 1-1.”
Real Madrid fans were furious with the former Leeds and Manchester City player, accusing him of disrespect. Right now Erling Haaland will not be too concerned about his father’s behaviour, having helped his side secure a solid result which gives them a good chance of reaching the final in next week’s second leg.
But the row might have repercussions further down the line, with Real Madrid previously one of the clubs touted as a possible destination for the Norwegian goal machine. Haaland joined his father’s former club last summer in a £51million move from Borussia Dortmund, but he had the choice of many other clubs, including Real.
Haaland is only 22 years old and has a long career of goalscoring ahead of him and his dad has previously admitted he doesn’t expect his son to be at City forever. Speaking on the documentary 'Haaland: The Big Decision', he said : "I think Erling wants to prove his abilities in all leagues.
“Then he can stay there [Manchester City] for three or four years at the most. He could be, for example, two-and-a-half years in Germany, two-and-a-half years in England and then in Spain, Italy, France, right?"
In the same documentary, filmed before Haaland moved to City, he added: "On our list, I think City is the best team. [Bayern] Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid as number three, Paris Saint-Germain as number four. We also have some English teams other than City who are quite good. Liverpool and Chelsea. Also, there is Barcelona. They are sort of in the same row."
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Having scored 51 goals in 47 appearances this season, many of those clubs would be delighted to sign Haaland in the future. But Real Madrid might think twice about committing to the transfer after his dad clashed with supporters.
That could be costly for both sides, because earlier this season it was reported by Spanish media that Real were interested in moving for Haaland next summer, when a clause in his contract would allow him to leave City for €200m (£174m).
City have denied that such a clause exists, but Haaland’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, has suggested Real would be a good destination for her client. Speaking at the FT Business of Football summit in March, she said : “There is the Premier League, and there is Real Madrid.
“And Real Madrid has something of its own that makes it the Dreamland for the players. Madrid keeps this magic going. It doesn’t have the league competition but it does have the Champions League.”
Pimenta explained that she always implements a long-term strategy for her clients. That involves maintaining good relations at all major European clubs, but Alfie Haaland may well have just burned down the bridge leading to Real Madrid.
