Erling Haaland’s Emotional Return: Why He Chose to Play for Man City Against Brentford After Losing a Close Family Friend

Pep Guardiola permitted Erling Haaland to make the decision on his participation in Manchester City’s Premier League victory against Brentford, days after the striker lost a close family friend. Guardiola was willing to give the striker any time off he asked for. But no such request came, and Haaland scored twice as City rallied from behind to defeat Brentford 2-1 in a difficult match.

Guardiola remarked after the game, “You have to be strong, and maybe for 90 minutes forget about your personal life.” “If life gives you a punch in the face, it’s good to play.”

Guardiola opened up about the behind-the-scenes decision that led to Haaland’s inclusion against Brentford, showing a much simpler process than some may have anticipated.

We decided] yesterday, and he was in the lineup. Of course, it has been difficult for his family. It is challenging for all humans. When he returned the other day, he was in the locker room, feeling sad. We aim to take care of everyone here as well as each other. If someone is having issues, we stick close to them.

He was feeling better yesterday and was making jokes. It can be beneficial to forget about other things and focus on your work. I didn’t speak with him. We communicated, ‘how did you feel’, but I did not inquire about his readiness to perform. If he wasn’t ready, he’d tell me so. “He’s a wonderful weapon for one-on-one teams; if you isolate him against the centre-back, the quality of Ederson and Stefan [Ortega] with long balls. It is a weapon that we must exploit and employ. The greatest method is to forget everything and play for 93 minutes.”