Erling Haaland was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid while he was still at Borussia Dortmund. Many fans were convinced that the Norwegian superstar would pick a move to Santiago Bernabeu over any other this summer. There was even talk of him combining with Kylian Mbappe for Los Blancos.
We all know how that turned out. Mbappe decided to stay on at PSG. On the other hand, Haaland picked a move to Manchester City and has made a bright start to life in the Premier League.
At one point of time, when asked about not signing Haaland, Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez, had suggested that if he had been signed, he would have to sit on the bench as he would be behind Karim Benzema in the pecking order.
Haaland has now responded. As reported by Express, the Manchester City striker told the September 2022 edition of FourFourTwo:
"“It happens in football.“I like to have a laugh myself, but I don’t think too much about outside talk. I can’t. It means I’m not focusing, and I’m not at my best. It’s good to have some fun, though.”"
Haaland responds to Real Madrid president’s controversial claim
Thus, it looks like Haaland has not taken the comments to heart and is playing his football, without thinking about it.
Now, there is certainly a discussion to be had about whether Haaland would really have to sit on the bench if he did come to Real Madrid.
On current form, Benzema is a more lethal striker in front of goal and better at delivering on the big stage. And there is no comparison when it comes to their link up play, the Frenchman is miles ahead.
On the other hand, Haaland is much more of a physical presence up top. At the same time, you have consider his age, as he is 12 years younger than the Frenchman. He is way ahead of where Benzema was at 22 years of age.
Every Real Madrid fan would have loved the idea of having Haaland at the club and if he did arrive, Carlo Ancelotti would have most probably found a way to play him up top with Benzema in a tandem, instead of picking one or the other.