Erling Haaland doesn’t want to stop making up stories in her career to become a great footballer. This time, Haaland’s story is not about goals but in the form of individual titles.
The young Borussia Dortmund bomber has just been named the 2020 Golden Boy winner by UEFA. This trophy is not an arbitrary title because it is only intended for players who are considered the best under the age of 21.
Haaland beat two other young players, namely Ansu Fati (Barcelona) and Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich). The two players also appeared attractive with their respective clubs.
Haaland is entitled to the most prestigious title for the young player thanks to his brilliant performances during the RB Salzburg shirt and now in the Dortmund shirt.
Haaland’s taps never seem to stop at Salzburg or Dortmund. The Norwegian striker seems to have many ways to break into the opponent’s goal.
Either with the left foot, right foot, or head. All parts of Haaland’s body seem to be a deadly weapon for him to tear the opposing teams’ goals.
Haaland also recently set a record as the fastest player to score 15 goals in 12 matches in the Champions League. He defeated Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roberto Soldado, who only managed to score 15 goals in 19 matches.
Haaland’s record in the Champions League is only one of the various nicks that have entered the history book of the young man born in Leeds, England.
Haaland’s success in embracing the Golden Boy trophy is also proof that the child of former Manchester City, Alf Inge Haaland has a special ability. But what should be remembered is the story about the player who has won the Golden Boy is not only synonymous with success in the future.
The Golden Boy trophy was first awarded to the legend of the Dutch national team, Rafael van der Vaart in 2003. Since then, young players who are considered to have appeared special have taken turns posing with this prestigious trophy.
Of the 18 names who won the Golden Boy trophy, not a few were successful but not a few were familiar with failure.
Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Aguero, to Kylian Mbappe are included in this list. Meanwhile, Anderson, Alexandre Pato, Mario Balotelli, Renato Sanches were in the box for players who failed to live up to expectations.
Pato is currently working at the Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian at the age of 31 years after being so adored when he first joined AC Milan. The same is true for Renato Sanches who failed at Bayern Munich and was once loaned out to Swansea City.
Sanches is now trying to reset his messy career since he decided to move at a young age from Benfica in 2016.
Balotelli is even worse. The Ghanaian player is said to be set to become one of the top strikers in the world but his poor temper has only given him a moment to praise.
Balotelli has become increasingly familiar with the controversy since moving to Manchester City. Since then, the career of the player born in Palermo has continued to decline until he is now anchored at the Serie B club, Monza.
The bitter story of the Golden Boy title winners should be a reminder for Haaland. The 20-year-old striker must strive to continue to level up the game in order to achieve bigger targets.
Haaland can learn from the player he idolizes, namely Cristiano Ronaldo. Thanks to hard work, CR7 transformed from a player who relied on foot speed to trick opponents early in his career into a goal machine that was difficult for opposing players to stop.
“I would be very happy to meet him and say that I am a footballer because of him. For me, he is always a role model,” said Haaland.
With a work ethic as strong as Ronaldo’s, Haaland can dream of continuing his career at the top and eventually winning the Ballon d’Or trophy in the future. Another aspect that is also worth noting, Haaland should not choose a club that will be his next career destination.
Haaland better mature at Dortmund who believes in the project of young players in the next few years. Once ready, Haaland can climb a higher career footprint by strengthening European top clubs to fill his career with titles on the domestic and international stage.
