Manchester City shared a bizarre clip of Erling Haaland taking a video call from a 'secret superfan' – who turned out to be WWE legend John Cena.
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Man City use John Cena in tour promotionWWE legend video calls Erling HaalandCityzens to play four matches in United StatesWHAT HAPPENED?
City opted for cringe comedy in announcing their 2024 summer tour of the United States, with Haaland taking a video call from Cena, who initially refused to turn on his camera for the striker but was wearing a long blonde wig as if to impersonate him. Haaland's wooden acting skills were thoroughly put to the test when Cena's new look was 'accidentally' revealed to him.
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City were last in America in the summer of 2022 and this time are scheduled to play four friendlies against a variety of opponents. They will face Celtic in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on July 23, followed by AC Milan and USMNT star Christian Pulisic at the iconic Yankee Stadium in New York four days later. It's then onto Orlando, Florida for a clash with Barcelona on July 30 and, finally, an all-Premier League meeting with Chelsea at the 102,000-capacity Ohio Stadium on August 3. Ultimately, City are keen to grow their brand presence in the highly lucrative North American market to rival the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?
The dream for City is to retain the treble they won in 2023, which is very much still on. Equally, however, they could still finish the season with none of the three trophies. Only one points separates the Cityzens from Premier League leaders Arsenal after 28 games, while a semi-final against Chelsea and either Manchester United or Coventry stands between them and FA Cup glory.
Pep Guardiola's side also remain favourites to win the Champions League, which would them the first English club to be crowned European champions in back-to-back seasons sine Nottingham Forest in 1980, but must first overcome real Madrid in the quarter-finals next month. All of that will go a lot smoother if early injury fears over Erling Haaland prove to be unnecessary after he was spotted limping during Norway training.