But back in 2016, the striker was just 15 years old and playing in the academy of his hometown club Bryne in western Norway.

He was watched by Everton's Scandinavian scout Bryan King, who recommended Haaland for a trial on Merseyside but the club turned him down.

'We could have had him for a compensation fee of £60,000,' King told The Times. 'But the consensus was he was so young and so big that once he got older and other players got bigger too, he'd lose his effectiveness.

'But, of course, that hasn't happened. He's just become even more powerful, even quicker and even better too.'

The Toffees continued to monitor Haaland and then-director of football Steve Walsh - the man who scouted Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and N'Golo Kante for Leicester - even had a £3.4million deal agreed for the Norwegian but was not backed by owner Farhad Moshiri.