Thu Oct 10 19:10:00 UTC 2024: ## Haaland Reacts to Leaked Messages in New Book About Norwegian National Team

**Oslo, Norway** – Erling Braut Haaland has expressed his displeasure with the publication of private messages from the Norwegian national team’s WhatsApp group in a new book, “The Battle for the National Team.”

The book, written by TV 2 journalists Magnus Braaten and Arilas Berg Ould-Saada, contains excerpts of messages exchanged by players during a COVID-19 outbreak in November 2020.

Haaland, who serves as captain in the absence of Martin Ødegaard, commented on the situation during a press conference on Thursday. “It’s not good, of course, that someone – we don’t know who it is – is doing this. It’s obviously not good that someone, a journalist, and right now an agent, writes a book about it,” he stated.

Ould-Saada, one of the authors, recently took a position as an agent with the firm Keypass, which represents several Norwegian national team players, including Alexander Sørloth and Sander Berge. Haaland, who is represented by Rafaela Pimenta, expressed his concern about the potential conflict of interest.

“I don’t work with him, and I don’t work with that firm. But if Rafaela had sent me a message that he had been hired, I would have scratched my head and wondered a bit about it,” Haaland said.

The authors have defended their actions, stating they were simply doing their job as journalists. They acknowledge Haaland’s reaction but emphasize that Ould-Saada is now entering a new chapter in his career.

Several national team players have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the leak, highlighting the impact it has had on the team dynamic.

Haaland’s strong reaction comes as Norway prepares for their upcoming Nations League match against Slovenia. The star striker has had an impressive start to the season with Manchester City, scoring 11 goals in 10 games. He is currently only one goal shy of Jørgen Juve’s 90-year-old national team record of 33 goals.

Despite the controversy, Haaland remains focused on the upcoming match, which is crucial for Norway’s chances of securing a favorable draw in the World Cup qualifiers. With a victory, Norway could establish a three-point lead in Group G.

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