Erling Haaland: Man City star's worrying injury history

Tom Weber

• 22 Mar 2023 08:28 CDT
• 3 min read

Erling Haaland has been forced to withdraw from Norway's squad due to injury.

It is the latest ailment to add to his already considerable list of fitness struggles. Despite his tender years, the 22-year-old goalscoring machine has been forced to spend quite a long time on the sidelines and his injury history makes for a worrying sight.

His current groin problem may not keep him out for long, but he will miss his country's opening Euro 2024 qualifiers, which must be concerning considering Norway have a recent history of underperforming at the international level. The Scandinavian country did not qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Though Haaland has been making light work of the Premier League, scoring an absurd 28 goals in merely 25 outings in addition to his 10 Champions League strikes and four goals in domestic cup competitions, he has shown signs of physical vulnerability.

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In fact, he already missed a few games earlier in the season with a bruised foot. Indeed, taking the longer view reveals a shocking injury record for a player of his age.

Struggles at Dortmund

During his time at Borussia Dortmund, Haaland suffered several injuries that kept him out for more than a month. In 21/22, the Norwegian sharpshooter was unavailable for 16 games, having to repeatedly deal with muscular problems as well as hip flexor issues.

The season prior, he missed 10 games through injury, again due to muscular problems. A knee issue also forced him onto the sidelines, as it had done earlier in 19/20 after his arrival in Dortmund.

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Minor knee problems and muscle injuries also plagued him during his breakout season at RB Salzburg. It doesn't make for nice reading that such a talented 22-year-old has had to deal with so many muscular problems already.

It is a sobering reminder that though Haaland plays like a machine, he is not made of steel and needs to be taken care of.