On an autumn Saturday afternoon, a tall man with a blonde ponytail sits relaxed in a white T-shirt, black track pants and trainers, and reflects on the fact that he has just scored, again, in a Premier League fixture. Twice.

This is Erling Haaland, after Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Brighton, at home at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Haaland’s goals, a quick-witted, muscular attack in open play, and a penalty, make him the top scorer in the Premier League, with an average of more than one goal per game, a position the 22-year-old Norwegian clearly enjoys.

We are here to talk watches, not football, though, as Haaland has just been signed to a new squad: the Breitling All-star Squad. Those of you familiar with the Swiss watchmaker’s activities over the past few years will know that it has assembled a series of ambassadorial “squads” to embody its values and showcase its products. These include the Cinema Squad (Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron and Adam Driver), the Explorer Squad (David de Rothschild, Inge Solheim and Bertrand Piccard) and the Surfer Squad (Stephanie Gilmore, Kelly Slater and Sally Fitzgibbons).

Now here come the All-stars, international individuals from different sporting disciplines who are emblematic of skill, dedication and competitiveness: basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, snowboarder Chloe Kim and, in the US, American footballer Trevor Lawrence.

So how does the young Norwegian feel about joining the Breitling All-stars?

‘First of all, it’s a cool watch brand, and actually my grandpa, who I’m named after, wore a Breitling, which is where I first came in contact with the brand,’ says the striker. ‘I always knew about it, and for me it’s about good vibes, having good energy around me. I felt that when I spoke with my dad about the brand after he talked with the Breitling team, and he told me positive things about the conversations they had.’

Erling’s father is Alfie Haaland, who also played for Manchester City (2000-2003). But though Erling was born in the same year his father started for the club, and so lived in Manchester for a while, he remembers very little of that time. ‘I don’t remember a lot, I have to say. I was born in 2000 and I don’t remember going to the games with my mother. I only sometimes get flashbacks from that period, when seeing pictures of my brother, my sister and myself on our way to school when we still lived in England.’ Asked if he has a favourite player from the club at the time his father was playing, he says: ‘He played with some good players; you have [Nicolas] Anelka, George Weah, huge players. If I had to choose one, it would probably be Anelka.’

Alfie Haaland also played a part in getting his son interested in watches. ‘I always knew a little bit about watches but not too much. It was actually someone close to me that really got me into it, and my father also always loved watches. Through them I kind of got the passion, and more recently during the pandemic I had more time on my hands, so you go into Instagram and you see all these beautiful watches. I think that’s how I kind of got into it properly.’

Today, the player is wearing the new Breitling Chronomat GMT with a white dial and steel band. ‘I like it because I often wear white or black and then it normally fits me well and with everything I wear. I really like this one. It’s a clean look that fits my style.’

Does he have any other favourite dial colours? ‘I’d have to say blue. My other watch I’ve with me today is blue.’ That’s the Top Time Triumph model with an ice blue dial – the colours of his club. ‘Yes, and a beautiful colour. So, white and blue,’ he says.

The Top Time Triumph is a chronograph and the Chronomat is a GMT. Which of the two does he prefer?

‘Hmm, that’s a good question,’ he replies. ‘With the other watch [the chronograph] I scored a lot of goals when I wore it before my games so it’s gonna be hard to change it now. We’ll see, if I don’t score in the next game when I wear this new one then that’s a problem,’ he laughs. And the chronograph has a leather strap, while the GMT has a steel bracelet. How does he feel about these? ‘Normally the leather is more comfortable, but his one wears nicely and is very comfortable. So [I like] both.’

Now that he has joined a squad of international athletes from different sports, does he think he might like to try one of theirs? Basketball, snowboarding or American football? Which would it be?

‘I think I fit American football very well, if you saw the goal today,’ he smiles, referencing the way in which he shrugged off the attentions of a defender. ‘So yeah, maybe American football.’

And finally, what if Breitling were to ask him to assemble a Football Squad for the brand. Who would he invite to join him?

‘I think I’d need to have a Norwegian who speaks the same language, so Martin Ødegaard,’ he says, ‘and I would love to have Kevin De Bruyne [his teammate and vice-captain at Manchester City]. He assists me really well. It’s difficult to pick a squad for me as there’s so many good players out there.’

Many good ones, yes. But only one top scorer.

breitling.com