Erling Haaland reveals he has the same pre-match routine as Luke Littler

Man City star Erling Haaland and teenage darts sensation Luke Littler play different sports, but they appear to share the same pre-match routine.

Luke Littler's rise to stardom at the World Darts Championship earlier this month was nothing short of extraordinary, regardless of him losing to Luke Humphries in the final.

Littler's age - he turned 17 a few weeks after the tournament - is striking, as is the low-key way that he prepares for games. Like many teenagers, the darts star is a keen EA Sports FC player. Michael Smith, the former world champion, even caught him opening packs on the EAFC web app, jokingly saying on Instagram: "Trying play darts and this little [s*** emoji] playing FIFA."

Erling Haaland is one of the most recognisable players on the planet, after winning the treble with Manchester City last season while breaking all sorts of scoring records along the way.

Despite his fame and fortune, Haaland also likes to relax by playing the popular computer game.

"I don't have any special routines. I try not to think too much before a game," Haaland said.

"Normally the night before a game, I play on my PlayStation and try and relax as much as I can. I don't do anything special. I like to score with myself on EAFC24, that's about it. I don't do anything special, I just try and relax and look forward to the game.

Haaland scored a club record 52 goals for Man City in the 2022/23 campaign (Getty)

"I want to keep doing the same as I did last season, to score more goals and win more trophies. Now I know how it is to win the Champions League and the Premier League. I would love to do it again. I will try to do my best and I want to help the team to make it happen."

Haaland has been sidelined with a foot injury since December 6, but he is expected to return to action when City take on Burnley on Wednesday.

"Hopefully at the end of this month he'll [Haaland] be ready," Pep Guardiola said ahead of the match. "It was a little bit more than we expected in the beginning. It's the bone. It needs time. With every injury you can do whatever you want but it's a question of time.

Topics: Erling Haaland, Manchester City, Luke Littler, Premier League, Darts, EA Sports FC

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton