Alf-Inge Haaland

2.1. Early Life and Youth Career

Alf-Inge Rasdal Håland was born on November 23, 1972, in Stavanger, Norway, and was raised in the nearby town of Bryne. His football journey began at a young age, as he joined the youth team of his hometown club, Bryne FK, in 1979. Demonstrating early promise, Haaland made his first-team debut for Bryne in 1989 at the age of 17. The following year, he solidified his place within the team after signing his first professional contract with the club.

2.2. Nottingham Forest

In December 1993, Haaland made his move to English football, joining Nottingham Forest, which was then a First Division club. His transfer to Forest was a protracted process, with initial attempts to sign him beginning in October 1992 under the management of Brian Clough. The deal was eventually completed under the new manager, Frank Clark. Haaland made his debut for Forest against Leicester City. He spent four years at Nottingham Forest, establishing himself in English football before moving on to his next club.

2.3. Leeds United

In July 1997, Haaland transferred to Leeds United, playing under manager George Graham. He made his debut for Leeds on August 9, against Arsenal. During his time at Leeds, Haaland primarily operated as a utility player, contributing both in midfield and defence under manager David O'Leary.

A notable incident occurred in September 1997 during a match between Leeds United and Manchester United at Elland Road. While Manchester United were losing 1-0, Roy Keane sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury while challenging for the ball with Haaland. As Keane lay on the ground, Haaland, unaware of the severity of Keane's injury, stood over him and criticized him, suggesting that Keane was feigning injury to gain a penalty. Haaland received a booking for this action, while Keane was stretchered off the field and subsequently sidelined for nearly a year due to the injury.

Despite this controversy, Haaland continued to make significant contributions to Leeds. On December 26, 1997, he scored a goal in a 3-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield. This feat was later replicated by his son, Erling Haaland, on October 2, 2019, while playing for Red Bull Salzburg. Haaland was an integral part of the Leeds team that achieved considerable success during the 1999-2000 season, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and also securing qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

2.4. Manchester City

In 2000, Alf-Inge Haaland left Leeds United to join Manchester City for a transfer fee of 2.50 M GBP. His time at Manchester City was overshadowed by a highly publicized incident with Roy Keane, which would ultimately contribute to the premature end of his career.

In April 2001, during a Manchester Derby match against Manchester United, Roy Keane committed a deliberate and violent tackle on Haaland, kicking him high on his right knee. Keane was immediately sent off for the challenge. Following the incident, Haaland commented, "I'm only glad my leg was off the ground, otherwise he would have done me a lot of damage." Keane was initially fined 5.00 K GBP and received a three-match ban for the tackle.

However, the controversy escalated a year later with the publication of Roy Keane's autobiography. In the book, Keane explicitly stated that the tackle was a pre-meditated, deliberate act of vengeance, aimed at Haaland for the criticism he had received from him during their 1997 encounter. This revelation led to an investigation by the Football Association. Despite Keane's claim that his ghostwriter had inaccurately paraphrased his words, the FA found him guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute, imposing an additional five-game ban and a substantial fine of 150.00 K GBP.

Haaland, who openly expressed his strong dislike for Manchester United and its players, had commented that Keane "would not dare to look him in the eye" after the 2001 tackle. At the time of Keane's tackle, Haaland's left knee was already problematic, requiring strapping. Despite the severity of the challenge, Haaland managed to complete the match. He subsequently played a midweek friendly for Norway, coming off at half-time, and also participated in the next league game, being substituted in the 68th minute.

That summer, Haaland underwent surgery on his left knee. However, he struggled to recover full fitness and only managed to make four further substitute appearances in the following season. His persistent injury issues ultimately forced him to announce his retirement from professional football in July 2003. Although his contract with Manchester City was originally set to run until the end of the 2004-05 season, a clause in his agreement allowed the club to terminate it if medical conditions indicated he could no longer play first-team football, an option City exercised.

Following the release of Keane's autobiography in 2002, Haaland and Manchester City announced they were considering legal action against Keane. However, it later came to light that Haaland had previously stated on his website that his left knee injury had been bothering him for several months, and that his left leg did not receive a direct knock during the Keane incident (Keane had kicked his right thigh). Haaland also clarified that Keane's tackle did not cause his long-term injury. Based on a review of the medical advice, the legal action against Keane was ultimately dropped in February 2003.

2.5. Lower League Comeback and Final Retirement

After his initial retirement from top-tier football in 2003, Alf-Inge Haaland took an eight-year break from the sport. He then came out of retirement in August 2011 to play for Rosseland, a club based in Bryne, his hometown. Rosseland competed in the Norwegian Third Division (which was the fourth tier of Norwegian football at the time). He played for Rosseland for one season before finally retiring from professional football in 2013, marking the conclusive end of his playing career. Before playing for Rosseland in 2011, he also made an appearance for Bryne 3 in 2011 in the Norwegian Fifth Division, and for Bryne/Rosseland in the Norwegian Seventh Division (2007) and Norwegian Sixth Division (2008).

2.6. International Career

Alf-Inge Haaland made his debut for the Norway national football team in a friendly match against Costa Rica in January 1994. Later that year, he was selected as part of Norway's squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States. During the tournament, he featured in the group stage matches against Mexico and Italy.

Throughout his international career, Haaland earned a total of 34 caps for Norway. His final appearance for the national team came in April 2001, in a match against Bulgaria. Haaland is one of the few players to have represented the Norwegian national team without ever having played in the domestic Tippeligaen (now Eliteserien), Norway's top professional football division.

4.1. Club Statistics

4.2. International Statistics