Erling
Haaland is on the verge of joining Manchester City in a mega-deal.

The Premier
League champions have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund
to recruit the striker after opting to pay his release clause. Haaland is
expected to sign a five-year deal after undergoing a physical on Monday. It is
a deal that will pique the curiosity of football fans everywhere, but for
Haaland, it is just a return to where it all began.

Also read: Analysis: Is Haaland and Man City really the dream ticket?

Alf-Inge
Haaland, the 21-year-old’s father completed a relocation to City a month before
his birth in July 2000. Haaland Sr. joined a completely different City two
decades ago. The club had spent a lengthy period in the despair through the
1980s and 1990s, sliding into the third division of English football for the
first time in their existence in 1998, while still playing at their former home
at Maine Road.

Nevertheless,
Haaland also joined a squad that was riding high after back-to-back promotions
to the Premier League under manager Joe Royle. A core of the same group that
had been losing games to the likes of York City and Wycombe Wanderers 18 months
before was about to rub hands with Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and
Chelsea once again.

As a result,
Royle sought to add some top-tier experience, and versatile Norwegian
international Haaland was towards the top of his wanted list. Alfie joined
Nottingham Forest in December 1993 after rising through the ranks at his local
club Bryne, where Erling would also make his debut. He went on to play in three
Premier League seasons at the City Ground, scoring six goals in the last one in
1996/97.

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That cleared
the way for a transfer to Leeds United, where he scored seven goals in 1997/98.
Haaland’s flexibility came back to haunt him in 1999/2000, when he was reduced
to a squad utility position and only made 13 league games for a Leeds team that
reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals. A fresh challenge was required.

City’s close
season spending included former AC Milan great and Ballon d’Or winner George
Weah, who would create an intriguing attack combo with record signing Paulo
Wanchope. Long-serving defender Richard Edghill was deprived of captaincy after
a dreadful performance in a match, in which he scored an own goal in a 2-1 loss
to Coventry City. Haaland was given the captain’s armband and led City to a 2-1
victory over his previous side Leeds in his debut game as captain. In October,
the Norwegian scored his second goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Bradford
City.

From that
point on, Haaland’s leadership of an unbalanced City side earned accolades, but
points were few. City were relegated after a 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town in
their last game of the season. Their captain was injured for that game and was
nearing the end of his playing career. Haaland made four substitute appearances
for City in December and January in 2001/02. After fruitless recovery attempts
towards the conclusion of the next season, he called it quits on his top-level
career.