Man City's Erling Haaland reveals he aspires to be like Real Madrid icon Karim Benzema
Manchester City's sensational striker Erling Haaland has cited Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema as a shining example of the need of always seeking out opportunities for growth and improvement.
FollowManchester City's new striker Erling Haaland is being pegged as a player to watch out for this Premier League season. At the age of 22, the Norway international has scored 137 goals in 141 appearances for club and country since the start of 2019-20 season, including three for Pep Guardiola's team this summer.
Haaland, whose transfer to Etihad from Borussia Dortmund was one of the most widely spoken moves this window, has highlighted Real Madrid's superstar Karim Benzema as a shining example of the need to seek out opportunities for growth and improvement constantly.
Since his teenage years, Benzema has been one of Europe's top strikers. However, the Frenchman has taken his game to an all-new high since turning 30 and has enjoyed the best season of his career in 2021-22.
Haaland refuses to take it easy and aims to focus on the future - in a way that 34-year-old Benzema has done over the years in his career.
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"I don't know what will happen, but it must always be about learning, about developing," Haaland told FourFourTwo.Â
"You can never stop looking for new ways to become better," the Norwegian added.
"Look at Karim Benzema at Real Madrid. He's 34 now, and suddenly he's developed into an even better player over the last couple of years – that's insanely good. I want to always do that," said Haaland in praise of the potential Ballon d'Or 2022 winner.
In 2017-18, Benzema scored only 12 goals across all competitions for the Los Blancos. However, following the departure of legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2018, the France international rose to the occasion and has proved to be a massive asset for Real Madrid. Since then, the prolific striker has scored 131 club goals in four seasons and continues to shine for Carlo Ancelotti's men.
