The unique movements that make Haaland “impossible” to stop

Erling Braut Haaland’s most important movement often comes several seconds before he scores. The Manchester City striker can appear almost invisible for long stretches, then make one small move, explode into space and leave a defender with no realistic chance of recovering.

Even Meinseth, a three-time Norwegian 100-meter champion and sprint coach, says Haaland’s acceleration is exceptional. “The first thing I notice is how explosively Haaland sets his body in motion. He needs very few steps to create speed and distance,” Meinseth says. He adds that Haaland has tremendous power and punch in every stride.

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The first thing I notice is how explosively Haaland sets his body in motion. He needs very few steps to create speed and distance.

Haaland’s distinctive running style, often with his head lowered and upper body leaning forward, also serves a purpose beyond the memorable images it creates. Meinseth says the posture resembles a sprinter leaving the blocks and helps Haaland accelerate quickly. When he reacts before the defenders marking him, the gap grows even wider within a few meters.

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He has tremendous power and punch in every stride.

The Athletic recently examined what makes the Norwegian striker so difficult to contain. It compared his movement with the running styles of Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé, arguing that Haaland may have developed an ideal combination of their traits: bending runs away from defenders, attacking blind spots and outrunning opponents.

Football writer Thore Haugstad says Haaland was already an elite counterattacking and runs-in-behind striker at Borussia Dortmund. Under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, however, he improved in the smallest spaces. Germany offered more room to score, Haugstad says, while City forces him to operate in crowded areas against defenders who mark him intensely.

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Thierry Henry bent his runs away from defenders, Cristiano Ronaldo attacked their blind side and Kylian Mbappé ran away from them. But Erling Haaland can be argued to have developed football’s perfect run, with elements from all three.