ERLING HAALAND stunned fans as he revealed he has the same pre-match routine as Luke Littler.
Haaland, 23, is at the peak of his powers as one of the best strikers on the planet with his incredible physique and goalscoring ability.
Littler, meanwhile, turned 17 last week and has burst on to the scene by rivalling the very best darts players on the planet.
But, while Haaland represents the blue half of Manchester and Littler supports United, the pair do have something in common.
That is because they both wind down ahead of big games by spending time on their consoles playing FC 24.
The video game is the rebranded version of FIFA – and City star Haaland can play with his own character.
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Asked about his ritual, Haaland said: “I don’t have any special routines.
“I try not to think too much before a game.
“Normally the night before a game, I play on my PlayStation and try and relax as much as I can.
“I like to score with myself on FC 24, that’s about it.
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“I don’t do anything special, I just try and relax and look forward to the game.”
And Haaland’s routine matches that of Littler.
The darts sensation, who reached the World Darts Championship final with his mesmeric run at Ally Pally, has made no secret of his love of the game.
Former world champ Michael Smith posted a picture on Instagram of Littler in his famous purple darts shirt opening Ultimate Team packs on his phone before facing Dirk van Duijvenbode at the Dutch Masters.
Then just 24 hours after losing the final to Michael van Gerwen, Littler did a TikTok live stream playing FC 24 with girlfriend Eloise Milburn.
The Nuke has 200,000 followers on the social media platform – and fans loved just how down-to-earth he is.
One said: “Na Luke Littler was just in the Dutch Masters final 24 hours ago, now he’s sat on FIFA opening packs on TikTok. What a guy.”
Another declared: “I go onto TikTok and see Luke Littler streaming FUT Champs, if you don’t already love the boy then something is wrong with you.”
One noted: “3k people watching Luke Littler play Pro Clubs is peak entertainment.”
Haaland will be hoping to replicate Littler’s recent success after finally returning to full fitness.
The Norwegian has been out since December 6 with a small foot fracture.
Speaking at the launch of his new Nike boots, the Treble winner said: “I’ve been injured a bit but now, I’m finally back and I look forward to wearing this boot and hopefully scoring some goals.
“I want to keep doing the same as I did last season, to score more goals and win more trophies.
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“Now I know how it is to win the Champions League and the Premier League. I would love to do it again.
“I will try to do my best and I want to help the team to make it happen.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
