Not content with the work put in during pre-season already, Erling Haaland tasked himself with ‘raw-dogging’ Manchester City’s flight back to England from the United States
The ‘raw-dogging’ craze has reached Premier League heights after Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland got in on the action.
For some reason yet to make any logical sense, travellers are taking it upon themselves to endure long-haul flights without any form of entertainment or distraction, other than the onboard map or flight data. And Haaland took it upon himself to join the trend when he made it back from City’s pre-season tour of the United States in the most monotonous fashion possible.
The 24-year-old even kicked things up a notch by supposedly refusing to partake in any food or drink on the journey back, becoming the envy of at least a handful of people in the process. However, that still wasn’t good enough for some armchair spectators.
“Just raw-dogged a seven-hour flight,” read his Instagram post as City returned from the US. “No phone, no sleep, no water, no food. Only map. Easy.”
But some took umbrage with the luxurious conditions in which Haaland – who scored a hat-trick in City’s 4-2 pre-season victory over Chelsea on Saturday – undertook his transatlantic pilgrimage. Apparently, raw-dogging only counts when the torture levels are set to maximum.
“Not sure you can call it raw-dogging with a seat like that,” wrote one expert in the field of excruciating air travel on Reddit. “True raw-dogging is when you’re sitting in a cramped economy seat and just power through the entire flight through sheer willpower while disassociating.”
Truly, we are living in the age of modern-day gladiators. Another social media user added the experience is upgraded another level when there’s “a baby crying next to you the entire flight.”
Haaland ended pre-season with a hat-trick against Chelsea ( Image: 2024 Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos)
“Doesn’t count, business class,” chimed another disgruntled detractor online. Meanwhile, others cast doubt over Haaland’s claims altogether, with one writing: “Yeah I’m sure he did, at least for those eight seconds of the video.”