‘Once a blue, you’re a blue’: Haaland renews family bonds with City

Erling Haaland may be a rarity in the brand-conscious world of blockbuster transfers: a superstar signing whose professed love for Manchester City is actually genuine. Where many footballers kiss the badge and cite being childhood fans of Club A, Haaland is the 22-year-old centre-forward whose father, Alfie, played for City, was popular with teammates and staff and would take his infant son to the champions’ former stadium, Maine Road.

Roy Bailey was City’s physiotherapist when Haaland Sr was at the club for three seasons from 2000. “I remember him bringing his young lad Erling in when he was injured on a Sunday morning,” he says. “He had the freedom of Maine Road. I’d see him as a toddler when he brought him into the treatment room and he let him run about on the pitch. Alfie was very fond of City.”

Bailey treated Erling’s father when he suffered the infamous high tackle by Roy Keane during a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on 21 April 2001. In the 86th minute, Keane lunged at Haaland’s right leg, doubling the defender over. It was a revenge act, the Irishman angry about an incident four years earlier during a match at Alfie’s then-club Leeds. After Keane fell to the Elland Road turf injured, the Norwegian had stood over him and accused the midfielder of faking it. Keane had actually suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament and, as he documented in his 2002 autobiography, waited for his moment to pay Haaland back. “I fucking hit him hard,” Keane wrote. “The ball was there. Take that you cunt. And don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.”

Erling has grown up understanding his father’s reluctance to speak about the episode. But while a second autobiography published in 2014 had Keane insisting