"I don't know who it is, but our hairstyles are similar."

China’s 'iqiyu' asked Erling Haaland in a solo interview reported on the 7th (Korean time) about various aspects of Chinese football. The media drew attention by asking Haaland for his assessment of Zhang Yuning (Beijing Guoan), who was once the biggest attacking prospect in Chinese football.

Haaland is a key striker for Manchester City. He has been noted as a candidate for the Ballon d'Or since his time at Dortmund, where he caught attention while playing alongside Hwang Hee-chan at Salzburg, and upon joining Manchester City, he immediately claimed back-to-back Premier League (PL) top scorer titles. This season, he has shown some weakness due to fitness issues, but he is still regarded as formidable.

He even signed a decade-long contract extension with current team Manchester City on Jan. 17. Announcing the unprecedented 10-year contract extension, Manchester City explained, "Haaland, a striker of the highest caliber, has showcased extraordinary performance over the two and a half seasons since joining the club from Dortmund in the summer of 2022. He played a crucial role in Manchester City achieving a historic treble in the Premier League (PL), FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League (UCL) from the very first season, scoring 52 goals and setting the PL record. Additionally, he netted 36 goals in the league, earning the PL Golden Boot."

Since then, Haaland has demonstrated terrifying scoring ability while leading the Manchester City attack, garnering interest from many clubs. In particular, rumors have circulated that 'Spanish giants' Barcelona and Real Madrid could be his next destinations. However, Haaland attracted significant attention when Pep Guardiola signed a decade-long contract extension with Manchester City.

It is reported that Haaland’s weekly wage has significantly increased under this contract. The Athletic noted, "The exact figures are still unclear, but it is certainly at a historical scale in the history of all sports. This shows how significant the consolidation between Haaland and Manchester City is. He has been linked with Real Madrid, but he is very happy in his life at Manchester City and is satisfied to represent the club." The Sun reported that Haaland will receive 500,000 pounds (about 888.74 million won) going forward.

Chinese media posed a somewhat absurd question regarding Haaland. They compared him to Chinese striker Zhang Yuning. The starting striker for Guoan, Zhang Yuning was previously regarded as China’s greatest prospect in football. At the time of his debut, Chinese media even claimed he was a far superior player compared to Son Heung-min.

The European stage was unforgiving. Born in 1997, he came from the Hangzhou youth system, but he was heavily packaged due to the Chinese government's push for football at that time. Along with the expectations of Chinese media, the player even declared at the time of his entry into Europe, "I will become a player better than Son Heung-min."

However, he never managed to settle in foreign leagues. After joining the Netherlands' Vitesse in 2015, he joined West Bromwich in 2017. At that time, the club owner of West Bromwich was Chinese. However, he had to leave on loan to Werder Bremen when his work permit was granted.

But because Bremen did not want him but was forced to send him on loan, he actually left West Bromwich in a manner where they paid a loan fee. Zhang Yuning's side even paid part of the loan fee. However, he never played a single match for Bremen.

And he went on loan again to the Netherlands' Den Haag but failed to establish himself there. Ultimately, Zhang Yuning returned to Guoan in 2019. Since returning to Guoan, he has appeared in 32 matches for the Chinese national team and scored only 7 goals. Recently, he contributed to the team’s 2-1 victory by scoring during the home game against Indonesia in the group round of Group C.

Following his goal against Indonesia, Chinese fans have nicknamed Zhang Yuning "China's Haaland" and are praising him. 'iqiyu' showed Haaland Zhang Yuning's scoring highlights, including the goal against Indonesia, saying he is "China's Haaland."

Highlight of a player he doesn’t even know. Haaland nonetheless praised Zhang Yuning, saying, "It was a great finish. He seems to have strong shooting power. He is a great player. Amazing," adding, "His hairstyle is cool. He really looks like me." In fact, Zhang Yuning has recently been sporting a top knot like Haaland.

In many ways, references to a fellow football player emphasize hairstyle rather than football skills, creating a situation that feels more genuine. Chinese fans expressed sympathy toward Haaland, saying, "At least we can say his hairstyle is similar. If that's what he had to praise, how little could he have said?"

China is currently on the verge of elimination in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifiers. Sitting at the bottom of Group C, China shares the same points (6 points) with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Bahrain but is at a disadvantage due to a goal difference (-10). If they fail to qualify for the World Cup, it would mark China’s sixth consecutive World Cup elimination since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

Accordingly, the Chinese national team is attempting to strengthen its lineup by utilizing naturalized players. He Yuanyong (Yunnan Yikun), a former top scorer in the Norwegian second division, has joined the national team at the invitation of coach Branko Ivankovic. He has no experience in A matches yet, but is regarded as a resource with strong physicality and attacking strength. Due to quality issues among Chinese forwards like Zhang Yuning, most of the naturalized players are concentrated in the attacking line.

[Photo] Captured by Zibo.com.

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