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In 2018, Ole Gunnar Solskjær tried to convince Manchester United to sign a teenage Norwegian striker named Erling Haaland for £4 million. The club passed. That teenager is now widely considered one of the most dominant forwards in world football, and the story of his near-transfer has become one of those legendary “what if” moments that sports fans and, increasingly, crypto speculators refuse to let die.
Solskjær made the recommendation while still managing Molde, the Norwegian club where Haaland was developing. Six months later, Solskjær himself would take the managerial reins at Old Trafford, but by then, the window on a bargain-basement Haaland deal had already closed.
A £4M lesson in missed value
Haaland then moved to RB Salzburg, where he exploded onto the Champions League stage. From there, he went to Borussia Dortmund, continued scoring at a rate that made statisticians double-check their spreadsheets, and ultimately signed with Manchester City in 2022.
What was once a £4 million opportunity became a deal reportedly worth north of £50 million when City completed the transfer.
Solskjær first aired this story publicly during an event in May 2023, and it has resurfaced periodically on social media ever since.
Where crypto enters the pitch
A Sorare NFT card featuring Haaland sold for 265.1 ETH, a sum valued between roughly $600K and $684K at the time of the transaction. Sorare, the fantasy football platform built on blockchain technology, has positioned itself at the intersection of sports fandom and digital asset ownership.
Then there’s $HAALAND, a Solana-based meme token that has no official connection to Erling Haaland whatsoever.
To be clear, there is zero evidence that Solskjær’s comments triggered any meaningful crypto market activity. No new token launches, protocol integrations, or partnership announcements emerged as a direct result of this football recruitment story.
The broader sports-crypto intersection
Sorare’s high-profile sales demonstrate that a market exists for digital sports memorabilia when the underlying athlete is genuinely elite. The platform has secured licensing deals with major football leagues worldwide, giving it a legitimacy that most crypto-adjacent sports projects lack.
Tokens like $HAALAND represent the speculative froth that still clings to the crypto ecosystem. They have no utility, no backing, and no connection to the athletes whose names they borrow.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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