SUPER striker Erling Haaland’s hunger for goals is inspired by a lucky “hat-trick pasta” dish he eats at his favourite Italian restaurant.
Man City’s 23-year-old Premier League scoring machine regularly tucks into a special of pasta, cream and mushrooms.
Nordic net-buster Haaland’s meals are cooked for him by Beppe Piccoli, owner of Vero Moderno in Salford, Greater Manchester.
The 6ft 4in goal monster has eaten there once a week, almost every week, for the last two years.
Beppe said: “When I first gave it to him the very first time I met him, it was before the season kicked off.
“I said, ‘When you score a hat-trick on Sunday, please thank Beppe and Vero Moderno’. He scored a hat-trick didn’t he? It was quite funny.
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“Then he came back and asked for the same pasta and I said to him, ‘Last time you didn’t thank me. Please do it when you do another hat-trick on Sunday’. Same pasta, another hat-trick.
“That’s how everything started with him and we developed a big friendship.
“We joke now about the ‘hat-trick pasta’. He’s a world class player, a world class guy. You can’t buy that.”
Haaland scored 52 goals in all competitions last season.
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So far this season his tally is 29.
And his lucky dish appears to have inspired his team mates — with the likes of Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias and Rodri also hanging out at the same restaurant.
City boss Pep Guardiola even visited last month.
Beppe said it all began when the club’s Italian team doctor Max Sala came in for a bite to eat.
He said: “I think that’s how it started as they have three Italians working in the medicine department and they were looking for good, authentic Italian food.
“They are all very good guys, and very kind and generous customers. They just want to be treated as normal customers and naturally we treat everyone in the same way here.”
Haaland previously attributed his goal-mouth success to his dad Alfie’s lasagne, saying; “There has to be something special he adds to it.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
