Erling Haaland fell for Man City watching me play - I had to leave but now we're team-mates again

This week has been a long time coming for Colin Rosler.

The stars have never quite aligned for the defender when it comes to both Manchester City and Erling Haaland. Both players grew up as City fans owing to their fathers both playing for the Blues.

Haaland's love for City is no secret, from the retro shirts to Wembley visits to the famous picture of him sitting on his settee as a child. Rosler can probably trump him - he is named after Colin Bell and came through the academy at the Etihad Campus from the age of 11. But his path at City never crossed with Haaland.

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A handful of national team camps saw them on the same team between under-15 and under-21 level. But they never pulled on the same shirt at senior level despite their close bond and similarities. Rosler made more than 50 appearances for City's academy, following in dad Uwe's footsteps and playing alongside Phil Foden and Tommy Doyle.

But he soon came to the realisation that he wouldn't be given the opportunities he wanted with the first team. "From the moment I walked in it was like a home for me," he wrote in an emotional Instagram post.

The reasons behind leaving were more calculated, however. He told Voetbalzone: "I think there's few clubs in the world where it is more difficult to make it in the first team. That chance is just very, very small. I realised that I wouldn't make it quickly, so it was better to play elsewhere in a first team instead of training with City as an Under-23 player and every now and then for the first team."

A move to NAC Breda followed on a free transfer where Rosler started the slow climb back to the top - via Lillestrom, Mjallby and now Malmo. Haaland has taken an opposite route, remaining in Norway, moving to Borussia Dortmund later in his teenage years and then to City in 2022.

Now, Rosler has received a first call-up to the Norway national team to finally reunite with Haaland for the first time as senior colleagues. When Haaland signed for City, Rosler reflected on a visit the striker made to the City Academy where Haaland made a promise while sat in the Academy Stadium watching Rosler and his young team-mates in action.

“When we first met, one of the first things we spoke about was City,” Rosler told City's website. “We obviously both had that connection of our dads playing for the club, though a few years apart, plus the fact we’d both been City fans from an early age.

“He’s always been a Blue and it was his dream to one day play for City. He came over to Manchester for a visit to watch City play in the Champions League, but beforehand he came to see the UEFA Youth League game I was playing in at the Academy Stadium.

“He was sat next to my mum and his dad Alfie was there and while he was watching. He said, ‘I want to come and play for this club’. He’s always had that drive and dream to one day play for City and follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“He’s followed City very closely and was aware of my dad’s time at the club and obviously his dad’s too, but he knows a lot of the history and what Manchester City is about.”

The Haaland family name has probably overtaken the Rosler one as being more associated with City these days. When Colin and Erling line up for Norway it will see another City graduate playing international football, and another huge City fan on the big stage.

It may not have worked in Manchester for Rosler, but they will be glad his friendship with Haaland prompted that visit to the academy all those years ago to show him what his future would look like.