Erling Haaland issued a tongue-in-cheek apology to Brazilian football legend Ronaldo after dropping him from his Ultimate Team squad on EA FC 24, formerly known as FIFA.
The Norweigan goal machine benched 94-rated Ronaldo for his 85-rated cousin and Oud-Heverlee Leuven striker Jontan Brunes up front. Posting a picture of his star-studded Ultimate Team to his Instagram story, Haaland wrote: “Sorry @ronaldo have to drop you for my cousin @jontanbrunes.”
Brunes recently moved to the Belgian Pro League after tearing it up in Norwegian football. The 23-year-old scored 12 goals in 15 games on loan at IK Start in 1. division last season and was subject to interest from around Europe over the summer.
According to Foot Mercato, French club Le Harve were keen on bringing in Brunes to lead their line this season. The newly-promoted Ligue 1 side identified Haaland’s cousin as an ideal signing to help them compete in France’s top-tier but in the end, it was Oud-Heverlee who secured his signature.
Brunes is yet to make a senior appearance for the Norway national team so fans will have to wait a little while longer before they see the Scandinavian cousins join forces up top. However, Haaland is already trying out the partnership on EA FC 24.
The duo were in good company in Haaland’s Ultimate Team which is filled to the brim with world-class players from past and present. In defence, Roberto Carlos starts at left-back, while Real Madrid’s Eder Militao and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk combine at centre-back with Man City right-back Kyle Walker completing the back four.
Yaya Toure and Ruud Gullit occupy the centre of the park with Barcelona legend Ronaldinho on the left flank and PSG star Kylian Mbappe on the right. Haaland and Brune complete the dynamic 4-4-2 set-up as forwards with Ronaldo waiting in the wings.
Also warming the bench are Rodri, Vincius Jr, Pele, Wayne Rooney, Dominik Szboszlai, Gregor Kobel, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Marquez.
