“I’ve never felt better!” – Erling Haaland credits fatherhood for scintillating Manchester City scoring run | OneFootball

Erling Haaland has credited the birth of his son for his heroics on the pitch after scoring another crucial winner for Manchester City against Brentford on Sunday.

The 25-year-old is in the form of his life after notching his 12th goal for Manchester City in all competitions this season at the GTech Community Stadium at the weekend, which took the Blues to fifth place in the Premier League table.

City have Haaland to thank for overturning their fortunes since August – when they fell to two losses in their opening trio of 2025-26 Premier League games – leaving Pep Guardiola and co in the bottom half of the table and bringing back memories of their difficult 2024-25 campaign.

However, upon his appointment to Manchester City’s captaincy group this summer, Haaland has led by example on the pitch and has single-handedly dragged his side over the line at times since the September international break.

The Leeds-born forward, who joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, scored for the ninth consecutive game for club and country against Brentford on Sunday evening, underscoring his ever-increasing importance to Guardiola.

Speaking to Sky Sports after City’s narrow win in west London on Sunday, Haaland credited an alteration in his life off the pitch with how unfazed he seems on the pitch and his heroics on the pitch.

“I’ve never felt better than now. So yeah, you can say (I’m in the form of my life),” the Norway international said after netting the winner for City against Brentford.

“I think it’s about preparation first, getting ready for games. You can be physically ready but you need to be mentally ready as well.

“And to be honest I think with a kid, it makes me even better because I actually disconnect more than ever.

“I don’t think of football at all which sometimes when you’re younger you think of this and that, and maybe worry a little about things. But when I go home, I relax even more so I think I need to give a shoutout to my son!”

Haaland has called on his Manchester City teammates to focus on recovery and maintain their fitness over the upcoming international break, with Jack Grealish and Everton set to visit the Etihad Stadium next on October 18.

Grealish is ineligible to feature against his parent club – having joined the Toffees on a season-long loan in the summer – though Haaland would have loved the chance to face off against his best friend in football.