Although Haaland and his team discussed signing with Real Madrid in 2022, the striker is constantly plotting his next move.

The odds are stacked against you if you're a newcomer to the game, but if you've got what it takes to beat the odds, then you'll want to get in on the action as soon as possible.

After giving up the La Liga championship quietly to Barcelona, Real must be wondering what life would have been like if they had gone all out to grab Haaland's signing themselves as they have seen the 22-year-old smash record after record while scoring 51 goals in 46 appearances for City.

GOAL examines why Los Blancos eventually chose against recruiting the Norwegian, and why they still could have a chance to get their hands on him down the road, as the Norwegian prepares to play Real for the first time.

A transfer saga born in 2019

Haaland's excellent performance in the Champions League for Red Bull Salzburg in his rookie season piqued Real's interest in him for the first time in 2019. And yet, Los Blancos had recently spent sixty million on a central attacker in Luka Jovic, not to mention eleventy-five million on Eden Hazard and fifty-four million on a youngster named Rodrygo. They really couldn't afford to acquire another high-priced young striker.

Haaland, his family, and his agents had meticulously planned out his future, and they all agreed that moving to Real would be too much of a leap for him at this point in his development, when he needed to be playing regularly. They spoke to Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund and ultimately concluded that he would be better off with the Bundesliga club.

Meetings with Madrid

Haaland's then-agent Mino Raiola started gauging interest from Europe's best teams as soon as he showed he could be just as productive in Germany as he had been in Austria and proceeded to score consistently in the Champions League. The Italian traveled to Spain on a highly publicized visit, where he had talks with both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

In addition to visiting Chelsea and Manchester City, Raiola also spent time in England. However, Haaland was reportedly leaning toward Madrid at the time. After electing to leave Dortmund, the youngster and his father, Alfie, moved to the Spanish capital to be closer to Raiola.

Doubts about Benzema

According to reports, Haaland asked a question of his own at the meeting in Madrid at the end of March 2022, when Real were making their case to sign him. The Norwegian reportedly asked how his arrival would affect Karim Benzema, who was having a career year for Madrid and had just scored a hat trick to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain from the Champions League.

I was wondering, "And what would happen with Benzema?" Haaland reportedly enquired about it. Florentino Perez, president of Real, said that Benzema's continuous brilliance was a factor in the club's decision not to sign the Norwegian when it was announced that he was joining City.

"We have the best number nine in the world and we weren't going to bring Haaland here to have him on the bench," Perez said to El Chiringuito.

'City is 10 out of 10'

City, however, were playing most of their games without a designated center striker while Real were enamored with Benzema, whose Ballon d'Or-winning brilliance propelled them to La Liga success and the Champions League previous season. After deciding that Harry Kane was too pricey, Pep Guardiola decided not to replace Sergio Aguero when he departed in the summer of 2021.

City only had one true striker remaining in Gabriel Jesus, but he only started around half of their games due to the presence of Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, or Ilkay Gundogan in that position. Haaland's guaranteed starting spot in every Manchester United game since his transfer there was a foregone conclusion.

In a clip from the documentary Erling Haaland: The Big Decision, the father of the footballer considers his alternatives. "It's hard to turn down Real Madrid, but we do have certain requirements. A No.9? Who needs one? Manchester City is a flawless 10, but Real Madrid is just a five or six due to Benzema's current form. What about [Kylian] Mbappé? Will they be able to sign him, too? Alfie might be seen inquiring.

The Mbappe question

Although Real said at the time that they could afford to acquire both Haaland and Mbappe in the summer of 2022, their decision to pass on Haaland was influenced by their belief that they were about to land the France striker.

French president Emmanuel Macron may have convinced Mbappe to sign a new deal with PSG after Perez disclosed that both the player and his mother had expressed a desire to go to Real Madrid.

It would have been terrifying to see Mbappé, Haaland, Vinicius Jr., and Benzema all up front for Madrid, but such a lineup was never feasible from a financial or competitive standpoint.

ALSO READ: Real Madrid vs. Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Physical concerns that proved unfounded

Haaland's propensity for getting hurt was also brought up as a source of concern by Real. Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard, the two most expensive players in Madrid's history, both had their careers cut short by injury.

They saw that Haaland had lost time the previous two seasons due to muscular issues when they were evaluating him. But it seems like they were worrying for nothing. Haaland has never missed more than a week of City's 34 Premier League games in 2022-23.

Ignore the naysayers and give credit where credit is due. Because "he's so big," the Catalan said, "we know we have to keep a watch." Backs, shoulders, tendons, you name it; physiotherapists treat it. He puts in countless hours in the gym, much more than he does out on the field.

The manager also said that Haaland had an hour-long massage at City's training facility after scoring his league-record 35th goal of the season. Haaland pays a lot of attention to what he eats and how much sleep he gets. He never risked being lazy like Bale and Hazard and playing golf after practice or showing up to preseason games overweight.

Breaking Premier League and Champions League records

City, in contrast to Madrid, had no reservations about acquiring Haaland and are now reaping the benefits of their gamble. An unnamed Norwegian player has scored 39 percent of the team's goals in the Premier League. He has scored 12 goals to lead the Champions League in scoring, and in March, against RB Leipzig, he tied Lionel Messi's record of five goals in a knockout match.

Thanks to Haaland, City now travels to Madrid with renewed optimism that they can revenge their semi-final loss from the previous year. Guardiola's team outplayed their opponents for the majority of the match, holding a 5-3 aggregate lead going into extra time of the second leg. However, they were eliminated from title contention when Rodrygo scored twice in two minutes at the Bernabeu to force extra time, where Benzema converted a penalty to send his team to the final.

City had many opportunities before Rodrygo scored, and without a doubt would have advanced had Haaland been on the field.

Real turn their attentions to Endrick...for now

Although Haaland is now City's shining star, the Norwegian might very well become the next Galactico in Madrid. However, given that the £150 million release clause in Haaland's initial deal with City has been voided, Real are not planning on signing him anytime soon.

Real, on the other hand, is refocusing on the Brazilian adolescent market that has been so fruitful for them in previous years. They reached an agreement in December to acquire 16-year-old striker Endrick from Palmeiras for a reported €60 million.

In the summer of 2024, when Benzema's current contract comes up for renewal, Endrick will make the switch to Real. Several Spanish media outlets have reported that, should Benzema depart, Real would try to acquire Haaland. However, signing Haaland in 2024 would be too soon, since he is now contracted to City until 2027.

They've been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it's now here: the moment you've been waiting for all along.

'Real Madrid has something of its own'

Haaland is just 22, but he's already on his sixth team because he can't seem to commit to one for more than three seasons. He may feel at home in Manchester and have real feelings for the club, but there is no guarantee that he will be as dedicated to City as Harry Kane has been to Tottenham or Steven Gerrard has been to Liverpool.

Assuming he avoids serious injury, he will have the option to sign with any team he likes, including the legendary Real Madrid. After Raiola passed away in 2022, Rafaela Pimenta became his agent. She has said that she and her clients are always planning for the future.

One may choose between the Premier League and Real Madrid. There is something unique about Real Madrid that makes it a player's paradise. This enchantment in Madrid persists. At the March Financial Times Business of Football event, Pimenta said, "They don't have the league competition every week, but they do have the Champions League."

In my organization, we aim to establish a strategy. We must have a target in mind. Even if we don't make it, without knowing our destination guarantees that we won't get there. We formulate strategies once we have a player.

Haaland's father has also made no secret of the fact that his son would want to play abroad. I believe Erling would want to see what he can do in every league. Alfie remarked in The Big Decision, "Then he can stay in every league for three to four years at most."

It's possible that he could spend 2.5 years in Germany, 2.5 years in England, and then another 2.5 years in Spain, Italy, and France. We can't be sure, but I believe he hopes to get a shot in the major leagues.

Haaland's future might yet take place in Madrid. The Bernabeu might be Man City's new home in a few years if they sign the club's first real Galactico.