Erling Haaland 'angered' Liverpool star so much he cut interview short

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Erling Haaland's excellence reportedly left one of his biggest rivals fumingErling Haaland was always destined to reach the pinnacle of football - as demonstrated by Virgil van Dijk's reaction after facing the Manchester City goal machine for the first time. The 25-year-old is set to lead the line for Norway in their World Cup 2026 round of 16 clash against Brazil on Sunday.A victory over the five-time world champions would see the Scandinavian country reach the quarter-finals for just the third time in their history and first time since 1998.

Haaland already has five goals to his name in his debut World Cup tournament, with Brazil's defence preparing for their biggest test thus far in attempting to lessen the star striker's influence.It was a task that even Van Dijk struggled with when facing off against the Norwegian during his time at RB Salzburg. Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook pageThe Reds ended up winning the game 4-3 thanks to Mohamed Salah scoring the winner, but the three points did little to quell Van Dijk's rage after the game, according to former Norway striker Jan Aage Fjortoft.The footballer-turned-pundit claimed that the Dutchman walked away when he attempted to get the defender to comment on Haaland's performance.

Fjortoft told Blood Red podcast in 2020: "The first time I saw him (Haaland) live was at Anfield when he came on and I was amazed that this young kid created so much space."He scored one goal but he could have had three or four – he was unbelievable. I was amazed how he created space and how I define that is how his runs are wise and experienced."After the game, I interviewed Van Dijk, who I always like to interview because he is a gentleman, and I said, 'I have to ask you about the Norwegian, Erling Haaland.'"And he just said, 'Well, we won the game.' So I said, 'Yes, but what do you think about him?' Van Dijk said, 'I didn’t see a lot of him,' and he was a bit angry because there was some mistakes done."And I said, 'It’s a good sign for a striker when a defender says he didn’t see him!' – and then he just went away, Van Dijk." While Haaland has spearheaded Norway's charge in North America, the Reds skipper endured a difficult tournament with the Netherlands.They were held to a 2-2 draw in their opening game against Japan, in which Van Dijk scored the opener.