Haaland sets sights on the treble after FWA award
Erling Haaland has set his sights on history as Manchester City chase the treble.
The striker last night collected the Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year award in London and made it clear he was focused on matches ahead. City face Inter Milan in Istanbul in the Champions League final on June 10, a week after they play Manchester United in the FA Cup final, having already won the Premier League.
Haaland said: “There are two finals left, we have to stay focused even though we won the Premier League. We have to stay focused to achieve what we can achieve in the next two finals.
“I will do everything I can to achieve good things in the finals and hopefully win both. It’s a good thing being favourites [against Inter] because it means we have qualities, we have to attack the game in our way.”
Haaland, who has scored 52 goals in 51 games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund, earned 82 per cent of the votes to win the FWA award, 75 years after Sir Stanley Matthews won the first trophy,
ahead of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. “I feel good, it’s a special moment,” he said. “I expected to do good things but, to do this, I didn’t expect.”
He has broken the record for the most Premier League goals in a season with 36 as City wrapped up a third straight title with three games to spare, having trailed Arsenal by eight points at one stage.
“It’s unreal what we did, being behind all season and we came like a unit together,” Haaland said.
Chelsea’s Sam Kerr took the women’s award, becoming the first to win the trophy in consecutive seasons. The Australian scored in Chelsea’s 1-0 FA Cup final win over Manchester United this month.
Kerr said: “It’s something that I’m very proud of. Off the back of the Euros, women’s football has grown a lot. Walking down the street, the crowds are bigger. Everything’s just increased over the last year.”