The business of Erling Haaland: He's a gold mine for everybody

Back in September 2021, Manchester City thrashed RB Leipzig 6-3 on home soil in the Champions League group stage. Just 38,000 fans turned up at the Etihad Stadium for that entertaining duel, prompting Pep Guardiola to ask fans to fill the stands in the next games.

The Catalan coach stressed that the Sky Blues were offering a brilliant spectacle, having scored 16 goals in their previous three games.

The adorable moment a baby couldn't stop staring at Haaland

"I would like more people to come to the next game on Saturday," Guardiola said.

"We need the people, please, because we will be tired."

One season later, as many as 52,000 people turned out for the game against Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Erling Haaland's arrival boosted ticket demand over the summer, which has led to the best attendance figures for the Sky Blues in the Champions League.

The number of fans who have attended the Etihad in the first five games of this campaign exceeds the figure from last term, never falling below 50,000 and with the peak of 54,000 fans attending the 6-3 derby win against Manchester United.

Manchester City's brand expansion

Manchester City have planned a strategy to expand their brand name in the Scandinavian market, traditionally dominated by rivals Manchester United thanks to the glorious era of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the Red Devils.

This weekend, ahead of the derby with Manchester United, the Sky Blues took the Premier League trophy won last season on a tour of Norway.

Fans were given the opportunity to take a photo of the trophy and listen to former Manchester City forward Paul Dickov sharing his experience from his time at the club, where he was teammate with Haaland's father Alf Inge.

"The Premier League has always been very important in Norway," Norwegian journalist Adrian Richvoldsen, who has covered Haaland's presence in Germany and England, told EFE.

"Liverpool and Manchester United have had big fan numbers, but the interest has increased tremendously because of Haaland's signing.

"I have friends who haven't watched the Premier League in years, and now they've subscribed and will pay anything to watch City.

"There is a 'Haalandmania' in Norway. Every day there are several articles about him in the press. I've never seen anything like it before.

"Even a friend's girlfriend, who has never been interested in football, is now watching Manchester City because of Erling. It's incredible!"

"He was born with it" - Pep on Haaland's performance in 6-3 United demolition

Haaland is also a gold mine for TV

For Viaplay, which owns the TV rights to the Premier League in Norway, the signing of Haaland is a gold mine that keeps paying off.

The monthly subscription price to watch the entire Premier League is NOK 649, about 60 euros.

The latest financial figures show a 10 percent increase in share value and a 69 percent increase in subscribers to 5.5 million across all territories in which the channel is present.

Viaplay's target is to reach 7.3 million subscribers by the end of the year, a figure that will be further boosted by the impact Haaland is having on the Premier League. His 14 goals in eight matches are well worth those 60 euros per month.

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