Erling Haaland was heard asking a question while Man Utd fans booed him outside Old Trafford.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was heard asking “why me?” when a group of Manchester United fans booed him outside Old Trafford.
Haaland, who almost signed for Manchester United before moving to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, faced a chilly welcome ahead of Sunday’s big Manchester derby. As he got off the team bus, many United fans booed him, and he looked a bit confused by their reaction.
A video shows Haaland glancing at a staff member near the stadium entrance before quietly asking, “Why me?” The clip quickly went viral, with fans sharing their thoughts. One fan said, “Haaland laughing at United fans booing him,” while another asked, “But honestly, why are they booing him?”
Back in 2022, Borussia Dortmund’s chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke, revealed that Haaland nearly joined United before signing with Dortmund. United were interested, and then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to bring Haaland back, having worked with him at Norwegian club Molde.
Haaland spoke highly of Solskjaer in 2019, telling TV2, “He has had a huge impact on me, both as a person and as a coach. He won the Champions League and was an amazing player. He taught me a lot.”
But the move to United didn’t happen, as former United executive Ed Woodward was hesitant to include a release clause in Haaland’s deal. This hesitation gave Dortmund the chance to sign Haaland by agreeing to the clause.
Watzke confirmed just how close Haaland was to joining United, saying, “We gave Haaland a release clause… otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United.”
To make things even tougher for United fans, Haaland eventually joined their rivals City—and the rest is history.