The father of Erling Haaland has explained why the Norway international striker shunned a move to Real Madrid this summer and joined Premier League side Manchester City instead.

Speaking on ViaPlay’s ‘Haaland: The Choice’, Haaland’s father explained: “We had established a first criterion which was: ‘Who needs a number nine?’ Manchester City had 10/10 at this level, it was the perfect option.

“Real, we gave him more of a five or a six out of 10 because there is the way Karim Benzema currently plays. And we wondered if they were also going to sign [Kylian] Mbappe.”

Real Madrid not only missed out on Haaland, but also failed to bring in Mbappe as well, as the French forward performed a last-minute swerve and signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.