Manchester City star Erling Haaland has opened up on dealing with personal grief, after losing several close to him in recent years.
Aftonbladet cover comments from the striker after he appeared on the NRK Series A-Laget. He revealed on that show that he himself is afraid of death.
“It’s a bit scary when you lie alone in bed before you go to sleep and think: “What happens the day I die?”. Are you going to heaven? Are you going to hell? Where are you going?” he said.
The Manchester City striker explained that he had lost his grandmother, grandfather, agent and a close family friend within a few years of each other. The friend in question was Ivar Eggja, who died aged 59 after a sudden illness.
He was close to the entire Haaland family and known as Mr Fixer. He helped Haaland with housing and finances, among other things, when he moved clubs.
Indeed, when Manchester City presented him following his move from Borussia Dortmund, he was in the presentation photo with Erling and his father.
Mino Raiola, meanwhile, was the agent key to his moves around Europe. The agent had been with the striker throughout his career. He died in April 2022 aged 54.
“He wanted me to live my best life”
That was another blow to the Manchester City striker, who admits he’s still coming to terms with the grief, particularly for his friend Ivar.
“How am I going to process it? It’s difficult,” he said.
“It’s sad that he’s no longer here. He would have been here today and teased me. We teased him all the time. I will miss him for the rest of my life, says the Manchester City star.
“I spoke to him just before he died. He said: “Go out and smash everything on the pitch”. He wanted me to live my best life, even without him. It’s important to think about. He didn’t want me to lie down and be sad.”
