Goalscorer and a wellness guru: Erling Haland's celebration meditation

A massive part of the quickly-created mythos behind Erling Haaland is the sheer physicality of his performances. Piercing sprints through the gaps behind the defenders to get the majority of his goal and then leaping high in the air for a superhero-like high-intensity celebration. Europe was hooked. Yet, a different kind of action made everyone even more intrigued. Of course, we're talking about the certified Erling Haaland celebration meditation.

After dozens of TED talks, hundreds of apps, and thousands of demonstration clips promoting meditation, the blonde-eyed kid from Norway did more for popularizing the activity in seconds.

Erling Haaland’s meditation celebration

As the hype was getting too strong at Borussia, records falling every three days, Erling reminded everyone, but mostly himself, to get grounded.

At a first-round knockout Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain, Erling scored two goals and for celebrating the first he got into the lotus position and enjoyed his moment of zen.

While he did celebrate like this before as well, at Red Bull Salzburg, this was the moment that made the headlines.

"I train a lot, and I meditate a lot. Before a game, I always listen to a song called 'Keep Dreaming' - and I also meditate," Haaland revealed.

It was almost like a message to the world that nirvana is scoring a goal for the striker. That in the middle of 60,000 people roaring, he could zone out and enjoy the bliss.

"I really enjoy meditation. It makes feel calm and gives me tranquillity. This is why I sometimes celebrate like that when I score."

Erling's father, Alf-Inge, explained that his son has always been interested in improving himself, even outside of football. That's why he wears blue-light-filtering glasses in the evening, to prevent screens from interfering with his sleep. For the same reason, he switches his Wi-Fi off at night.

It's clear that meditation - or focusing on one's breath - is key for his performances, not just for his celebration.

"I don’t do special mental training. In a situation like today, when I get the penalty, I focus on staying calm, to breathe, try not to think of what could happen if I miss. That’s the worst thing to do. So, for me, it is about trying to relax and to get the ball in the back of the net, as, in the end, that’s what I want to do. I think in the end, it’s a lot about being aware in your mind," explained Haaland.

But the meditation is not the only Erling Haaland trademark celebration. As mentioned at the start, Erling also loves to jump really high in the air and pump his arms.

"Nothing makes me happier than running out there like a crazy guy celebrating a goal," he says.

Yet, there's an in-between the calm meditation and the frantic jump celebration. That is when he puts the index finger one arm to his ear, and one arm in the air with his finger pointed up. As to command the fans to make more noise.