Erling Haaland twice broke a long-standing Enzo Maresca rule by celebrating his goals against Paris Saint-Germain while serving as Manchester City captain. The striker scored twice in the second half of his side's thrilling 4-2 defeat to Luis Enrique's team, with PSG three goals ahead at half-time.
PSG's first-half blitz and City's response
Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha all found the back of the net in a thrilling 19-minute spell at Etihad Stadium. Maresca subsequently rung the changes at half-time, with club captain Ruben Dias among those replaced.
That decision saw Haaland given the armband, with the 26-year-old a surprising selection given Maresca's own thoughts on having his striker serve as captain.
Maresca's captain rule
"At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench for instructions and not celebrate," he admitted during the club's pre-season tour of Asia. "But if he scores, then he can celebrate. If Erling is the captain, f------ hell -- we have a problem, can you imagine? I think even if it is two or three minutes, there is always something to adjust."
"At the moment, we have three or four [captains] and we are missing one [Rodri is recovering from back surgery]. In the case of Rodri, see what happens."
Haaland's celebrations and the wider context
The Spaniard would have been part of Maresca's leadership group, with the exit of Bernardo Silva also requiring fresh considerations for captaincy. With Dias off the pitch, Haaland was seemingly the next choice, but he had no plans to follow Maresca's rule.
Rather than heading over to the touchline, he fist-bumped the air before having a brief conversation with Josko Gvardiol on his way back to the halfway line after a superb glancing header. With City three goals down prior to his strike, Maresca's rule may not apply, with the City boss walking slowly around his technical box, arms folded, as opposed to giving out instruction.
In the immediate aftermath of his second goal - which came after PSG had restored their three-goal lead - Haaland simply ran back to the halfway line. While not covered specifically, Maresca almost certainly meant that the rule largely applies when City score either first or to extend their advantage, with the celebrations lasting longer than Haaland's two against PSG.
In addition to the 60,000 supporters treated to a superb clash, Pep Guardiola was also in attendance, with the former City boss jetting in from Barcelona to show his support following the club's guilty verdict over 114 financial charges. City have appealed against the outcome of the independent panel's findings and continue to insist they are innocent.
