Haaland praises Ayoub Bouaddi and describes him as a “jewel” after winning the Champions League

CNN) - Norwegian star Erling Haaland praised the young Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi, describing him as the “jewel” acquired by Manchester City, after the victory over Porto of Portugal at the beginning of the team’s Champions League campaign.

In statements after the match to Prime Videos, Haaland was asked about Ayoub, and he replied: “I think he played a very good game, and he was great in training over the past two weeks, and I said that to the club president.”

The Norwegian scorer, who scored both goals in the match, added about the young Moroccan midfielder: “So I think we have a precious gem,” then he added jokingly: “But he had to pass me the through ball at some point in the match and I was angry and I will tell him that.”

Bouaddi had a distinguished match against Porto and attracted attention through his elegant performance and his ability to steal balls and lead transitions in the middle of the field.

For his part, Haaland scored his team's two winning goals in the match, which ended with two goals to none for City.

The 18-year-old Moroccan player joined Manchester City from French club Lille for 95 million euros (about 110.6 million US dollars).