Welcome to our 10th blog interview, where we had the great honor of speaking with Alf Ingve Berntsen, the first coach of Norwegian and Manchester City football superstar Erling Haaland. Berntsen coached Haaland from 2006 to 2015 at the small Norwegian club Bryne FK. In this interview, we delve into Erling’s early years, his training regimen, and the key factors that contributed to his development into a world-class player.
Alf Ingve Berntsen
Can you share how Erling first got involved in football training? What were his initial strengths and weaknesses as a young player?
Bryne is a small town with a population of 12,000. Almost all the boys start playing football at six years old, and so did Erling.
From the first day, he smiled a lot, scored a lot, and trained a lot. He was of average height but a bit skinny. He had speed, was technically good, and tactically smart. However, he lacked strength and had to be smart in the box to score.
In your opinion, was growing up and playing in a small town like Bryne advantageous for Erling’s football development?
It is hard to say; players like Erling tend to succeed from many upbringings. But we can say that Erling loved his time at the club, with a lot of players and good quality training. A happy Erling will succeed more than an unhappy one.
Were there any specific periods when Erling struggled with coordination? How did you address these challenges in his training regimen?
The only problem arose during his growth spurt at 14 years old. He trained less and played fewer matches during these months.
How was your training structured to develop the young football players’ physical abilities? At what age did Erling begin strength training?
Our training was play-based, with nearly all sessions involving the ball. Always 50% of sessions were playing football. If you play 3v3…7v7 with quality, you will train the most important physical elements. He didn’t start strength training until he was 16 years old.
Erling playing for Bryne FK
How many training sessions did Erling have in those early days? Did he engage in other activities outside the regular training schedule?
Erling was part of a large group of 40 players. They trained together regardless of quality. We had three sessions a week until they were 14 years old, after which it increased to four times a week.
Many players, including Erling, trained a lot on their own on Saturdays and Sundays in an indoor football pitch. They varied from playing a kind of “street-football,” shooting competitions, to just playing with the ball.
Erling is known for his speed and agility on the field. Did you have specific training programs dedicated to developing these abilities?
Erling is fast due to good genetics. He thinks fast because we trained at a high tempo with good quality. The combination of good genetics and smartness is valuable in football. We didn’t do specific speed training. Erling and several others did different sports, but football was the main sport.
What kind of activities or training did Erling engage in during the offseason to stay in shape and improve his skills?
We kept training most of the year, with only one month break in the summer. During that time, the players did what they wanted on their own.
What were some of the challenges Haaland faced as a young player, and how did he overcome them to develop into the athlete he is today?
He always played with one year older boys. So he had to learn how to move smart. If not, he wouldn’t have a chance to create chances or score goals. We can see these movements from earlier even today. His style of play nowadays is almost exact like it was 10 years ago.
From your perspective, what were the best football qualities that distinguished Erling from other young players at that time? Was there a moment when you realized he had the potential to become a top-level player?
To us, every player was equally important. Our focus was on developing well-rounded individuals first, and then focusing on their football skills.
We had three rules: a) Be on time, b) Do your best, c) Behave. Erling was well-liked in the group and good at following these rules. If you do that day after day, week after week, and year after year, then players with special gifts can explode at some point. Erling did just that. His best quality was his mentality and his “grit.”
We saw from the time when he was 12 years old that something special was developing.
Do you have any advice for coaches of young football players about the most important things to keep in mind if they have a very talented 12-year-old on their team?
Let kids be kids, let young people be young people. Don’t train them as you train adults. As a coach you got to have in mind that young brains and adult brains works differently.
Let them have fun. Let them play a lot of football. Don’t correct to much, let them play and try themselves. It’s best for their future if their decision making is based on their own cognitive processes, and not from doing what coaches are telling them to do.
Jacek Stanislawek, Erling Haaland 2023 (fullcropped), CC BY-SA 4.0
