Erling Haaland called Jack Grealish his best friend in football, said he ‘f***ing loves’ him live on Sky and they live on the same floor in the same apartment building… these are the best mates leading Man City’s Treble charge
- Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland have enjoyed fine seasons for Manchester City
- They have been integral to Pep Guardiola’s side as they chase a historic Treble
- The pair are also best mates off the pitch and live in the same apartment block
‘I f***ing love you, you know that?,’ Erling Haaland screamed towards Jack Grealish as he interrupted the Englishman’s interview with Sky Sports following Manchester City’s Premier League title triumph.
Host Dave Jones quickly interjected and apologised for the offensive language as the unapologetic Norwegian ran off to join his other teammates in their celebrations.
But the small snippet after City had been crowned champions for the third successive season gave us all we needed to know about a burgeoning bromance between two of their key men.
For both Haaland and Grealish have enjoyed spectacular campaigns for Pep Guardiola’s side as they aim to become the first and only team since arch-rivals Manchester United in 1998-99 to win a historic Treble.
They head to Istanbul this weekend where they will face a plucky Inter Milan, looking to add the Champions League to the Premier League and FA Cup in their list of trophies this season.
Erling Haaland (left) and Jack Grealish (right) have developed a blossoming bromance this year
Haaland recently revealed how his Manchester City teammate was his best friend in football
After they won the Premier League title Haaland stole the show during Grealish’s post-match interview as the striker yelled ‘I f***ing love you, you know that?’, live on Sky Sports
If their historic pursuit of success is fulfilled, Haaland and Grealish will be two of many stars they have to thank.
Grealish took time to settle in Manchester after his £100million move from Aston Villa in 2021 but Haaland hit the ground running and made sure to remind his team-mate.
Speaking in an interview with Mail Sport, Haaland said: ‘I told Jack that sometimes players need maybe a year or something to come into a new league and new team.
‘And sometimes players come directly in and perform… I told him this. So, yeah, there was one game, the Community Shield. I missed a couple of big chances.’
The striker has broken record after record to rack up a remarkable 52 goals in all competitions this year, while Grealish has been transformed into the £100m man he was expected to be when joining from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021.
The hugely popular winger has dazzled on the left of City’s attack, becoming an almost ever-present since the World Cup, assisting Haaland for many of his record-breaking number goals.
Having provided just six goals and four assists last season, he has added 16 goal contributions during this campaign and gone from strength-to-strength, admitting to Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman last month he now feels comfortable in the team and that he has the trust of Guardiola.
Grealish himself is a larger-than-life character, well-known for his love of a night out and off-pitch escapades, which include being an ambassador for famous Italian fashion brand Gucci and he is perhaps the most marketable British footballer since David Beckham.
On paper, this would seem extremely different from the prime physical athlete Haaland, who has regularly spoken about his alternative diet that includes a fondness for liver and cow’s heart.
The striker leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of excellence, with his other staple delicacies featuring ‘magic potion’ milk smoothies laced with spinach and kale, filtered water and sunlight to boost his circadian rhythm, along with blue light glasses and a cryotherapy chamber in his house.
In total, 6ft 4in Haaland consumes 6,000 calories a day to maintain peak physical condition and everything in his life is focused around performance – with the striker even taking a break from City’s title celebrations to cook a steak last month.
But perhaps this is what makes them such an iconic pairing, with Haaland revealing last week that Grealish is his best friend in football.
The pair are two interesting characters but are perhaps an unlikely combination as best friends
They are regularly seen sharing a laugh and a joke together at City games and in training
A City fan pays tribute to their bromance at the FA Cup final with Grealish and Haaland dolls
Mail Sport explained in May how the pair live on the same floor in a plush city-centre apartment block in Manchester, only strengthening their relationship – although one ventures into town slightly more than the other.
It has been widely credited the cohesion within City’s group inspired a remarkable second half of the season that has them on the verge of the historic Treble as they overturned an eight-point deficit to see off Arsenal in the league.
Crucial to that has been the charismatic figures of Haaland and Grealish with the Birmingham-born star explaining how their contrasting personalities have in fact brought them closer together.
‘Everyone is different, aren’t they?’ he told Mail Sport last month. ‘Look at Erling. He is the best professional I have ever seen.
‘His mindset is something you won’t see again. He does everything. Recovers. In the gym. Ten hours of treatment a day. Ice baths. Diet. That’s why he is what he is. But I swear I couldn’t be like that.
‘We have a great friendship but he will point at me after a game and say, ‘Hey, don’t you go out tonight partying’.
‘I just tell him to shut up and go and sit in his ice bath. But that’s us. Two different people doing well in our own way.’
Grealish continued: ‘I am not as successful as him. He has scored more goals this season than I have in my whole career.
‘But if he did what I occasionally did he would be like, ‘F***ing hell I feel terrible today’.
‘I have a release that’s different to his. He is going home and sitting with his family and having a takeaway.
‘Sometimes that’s my choice, too. I love doing that. But sometimes I like to go out and let my hair down.’
Grealish’s stellar attacking contributions this season have been accompanied by a relentless work ethic out of possession that has endeared himself to City fans, along with his effervescent personality.
The 27-year-old is producing weekly now, creating more chances than any Englishman ever has in a Champions League season.
He is more demanding of his teammates, a bit more selfish, but with a smart presence of mind to react to situations.
Grealish and Haaland both live on the same floor in a plush apartment block in Manchester
If Haaland ever scores a goal his best mate Grealish is never far away from congratulating him
https://youtube.com/watch?v=iv59LKig-n4%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US
Having a world class forward and goal-machine like Haaland up front clearly helps any attacking player, but their bromance is also something that Grealish admits has benefited him.
He recently said: ‘We’ve got a great relationship. We come into training a lot together, we live in the same building, I’ve assisted him a few times.
‘When you have a relationship like that off the pitch, on the pitch it makes it that much easier.’
The pair have regularly been seen joking together in training, like the time Grealish went in goal and faced several shots from stars including Haaland, firing stick back at his close friend every time he saved one of his efforts.
Meanwhile, if the pair are rested by Guardiola for a rare stint on the bench, when the camera pans to City’s substitutes, they are often planning some sort of mischief or giggling away like little boys, while their celebratory photos after games have become iconic.
Elsewhere, whenever Haaland scores, he is never too far away from giving Grealish a big hug and you can bet if the Norwegian nets in the Champions League final on Saturday, there will be another warm embrace.
For these are two best mates who are loving life and leading City’s Treble charge.
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