Record-smashing striker Erling Haaland has admitted that Manchester City bought him for one key reason: to win the Champions League.
With the big Norwegian helping his team into the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday night —well, almost single-handedly launching them into it with five goals against RB Leipzig — the question once again arose as to whether or not City can actually do it this year.
As well as manager Pep Guardiola conceding that many would consider him ‘a failure’ if he falls short of winning the club’s first UCL title again this season, it being the only trophy that he hasn’t won since arriving at the Etihad, Haaland is making no bones about the job he was brought in to do either.
Speaking to CBS Sports after their massive 7-0 win, the star striker admitted: “Of course the club want to win the Champions League, they want to still win trophies. They won the Premier League four times out of the last five years so they didn’t bring me in to win the [league], they know how to do that already”.
🔵 Erling Haaland after last night's fantastic 5⃣ in the Champions League!
"So, you can read between the lines. I'm here to try to help the club develop even more and to win the Champions League for the first time."#MCFC#Haaland
The 22-year-old went on to say of his transfer, “you can read between the lines… I’m here to try to help the club develop even more, to try to win the Champions League for the first time.”
ADVERTISEMENT
As for his Catalan coach, he said that the idea of ‘failure’ is something he feels on a regular basis, insisting that no matter what he does or wins, “nothing will be enough, that’s why I enjoy it”.
Back in February, Guardiola said that it took him “a few years” to understand the kind of pressure being at City has piled on, noting that many push the “perspective that everything is a disaster if you don’t win some prizes” but that he doesn’t want to put any more on himself than there already is.
ADVERTISEMENT
He went on to quip, “I have to win three, four Champions Leagues [to be deemed a success]. Unless you are Madrid, the rest cannot do it, adding that the last two seasons we have been really close, really good games” and they will simply “try to do it again.” Having Haaland gives them more than a decent chance.
I mean, he still broke three other records in one night.
Pep also happened to bring up his ‘idol’… Julia Roberts? As you do. 😅https://t.co/Z07IfofRMc
Even without getting his chance for a double hattrick, Haaland managed to break three records in one night both on a club level and in the Champions League, so it’s safe to say the signs are looking positive.
Now on 39 goals across all competitions this season, the only question is will the goals come in the key games and the rest of the team put in the right performances in the big games?
ADVERTISEMENT
Either way, Pep will never be happy — we blame Julia Roberts and so does he…
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Danny Jones -
16th March 2023 
