- Erling Haaland’s grandmother passed away at a nursing home in Norway
- The Man City striker has posted a throwback photo of the pair together
- Mikel Arteta ‘does NOT trust everybody’ in his Arsenal squad as he refuses to rotate like Man City and Liverpool – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Erling Haaland has posted a throwback photo of himself with his late grandmother on Instagram following her death earlier this month.
Tone Rasdal – the mother of Haaland’s father Alfie – passed away in a nursing home in Norway at the age of 80 on February 10, the same day that Haaland netted twice in Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Everton.
Two weeks on, a grieving Haaland took to Instagram over the weekend to share a photo of himself as a teenager alongside Rasdal.
He accompanied the Instagram story with two emojis – a heart and a dove.
Rasdal had four children, including Alfie – who would go on to become a Premier League star, featuring for Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and City.
Erling Haaland posted a throwback photo of himself with his late grandmother on Instagram
Haaland has continued to play for City in recent weeks following his grandmother’s death
Her grandson is now one of the Premier League’s standout performers, having flourished in England over the past 18 months.
Haaland, who has two siblings – brother Astor and a sister, Gabrielle, has had a superb season for City once again – building on the 52 goals from 53 games he bagged last year to add 22 strikes from 29 games in this campaign.
The 23-year-old played just three days after his grandmother’s death in a 3-1 Champions League against Copenhagen, but then missed a number of big chances in City’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea last weekend.
He bounced back to score the winner in his side’s 1-0 win over Brentford last Tuesday, and Pep Guardiola hit back at Haaland’s critics as he pointed out that the forward had been enduring a tough period away from the pitch.
Haaland’s grandmother Tone Rasdal, 80, was the mother of his father Alfie Haaland (left)
Haaland pictured alongside his two siblings – brother Astor (left) and sister Gabrielle (centre)
‘Top strikers score a lot of goals. Don’t criticise, because he will shut your mouth,’ Guardiola said.
‘Sooner or later, he is there. He was out for two months. He’s had an incredibly tough week, losing his grandmother.
‘It’s not easy for a human being and he’s not in his best shape. In these types of games like Brentford, you need Erling.’
Haaland was also pivotal in City’s 1-0 win against Bournemouth on Saturday, as his shot was parried into Phil Foden’s path for the winning goal.