To show gratitude and appreciation to Bryne FK for discovering and training him, Man City striker Erling Haaland spent money sponsoring train tickets for fans of this team before the Norwegian Second Division play-off.
Erling Haaland grew up in Bryne FK’s training facility. The Norwegian international played for the youth team and the first team of Bryne FK before joining Molde in 2017. Alf Ingve Berntsen, Haaland’s childhood coach, explained Haaland’s starting point: “When the kid grew up, he always hardworking and a really pleasant guy to work with. He smiles a lot, teaches a lot, and scores a lot. Not a guy like Erling, you can’t do that. He was born with special gifts. No matter what opponent we play against, he is never afraid.”
Parted ways with Bryne FK a long time ago, but Haaland still follows every step of his old team. This season, Bryne FK finished in 6th place on the OBOS-ligaen rankings (Norwegian Second Division). Thanks to that, they won a place in the promotion play-off round.
According to the schedule, on November 26, Bryne FK will be a guest of Start in the promotion play-off round. Many Bryne FK fans really want to come to Kristiansand to add spiritual strength to the home team, but are facing financial difficulties. Faced with this situation, Haaland decided to spend 10,400 pounds to buy train tickets for 200 Bryne FK fans to go to Kristiansand to cheer on the home team.
According to Norwegian media, if fans of Bryne FK do not want to travel to Kristiansand by train, Haaland is willing to pay for bus tickets for them to get here. A spokesman for Bryne FK confirmed that the Man City striker provided financial support to fans of his former team.
Club director, Mr. Bjorn Hagerud Roken shared: “This is a difficult time for everyone financially, so it is difficult for fans to come watch the match. Haaland has brought opportunities to the fans.”
Because of his generosity, Haaland was highly praised on social networks. This is not the first time the Norwegian player has been so generous. In the summer of 2022, when he left Dortmund for Man City, Haaland spent nearly 13,000 pounds to buy 33 watches to give to the players and staff of the German team as farewell gifts.