From the pitch to the battlefield! Erling Haaland becomes a new character in his favourite video game Clash of Clans

Erling Haaland will now tackle a completely new kind of defence as he becomes a character on his favourite video game, Clash of Clans. 

Haaland has proven the revelation everyone expected him to be in the Premier League since is arrival at the start of last term, scoring a stunning 57 goals in just 62 appearances for Manchester City. 

He has shot to prominence as perhaps the world's best No 9 as a result, and has taken City to new heights helping them secure a Treble last season with their maiden Champions League crown. 

Now though, he joins Clash of Clans, one of the world's most popular mobile games, with more than 2billion downloads since its first release. 

Haaland becomes the first character ever to be based on a real person, and can be found under the name Barbarian King in the Supercell-developed game which sees players build their own villages before launching assaults on their enemies to gain power.

The Norwegian international reposted a promo advert, claiming: 'From the pitch to the battlefield! I'm the new Barbarian King in Clash of Clans.'

He added: 'It's been tough to keep this one quiet, but I'm excited to finally be able to talk about this epic partnership with Clash of Clans.

'I've been a huge fan of the game for a long time and know everything about it, so to appear as an in-game character is really cool.'

The striker featured in an advert to announce the news, which featured him in his own home captured by other characters and transported into the game.

In the video game, his likeness the Barbarian King has the same iconic ponytail hairstyle, but is clad in golden armour and gauntlets. 

He then immediately assists his new team-mates by performing keepy-uppies with a bomb, before acrobatically volleying it into an enemy fortress and leading the charge through the breached wall.  

Stuart McGaw, general manager of Clash of Clans, said: 'When we heard Haaland was a fan of our game and that he wanted to partner with us, it was really a dream scenario.

'Our team did everything we could to bring him, one of the world's best athletes, into the world of the game so our players could enjoy a truly special moment.' 

Back on the pitch, Haaland returned from a two-game absence through injury at the weekend to help fire Man City to victory at Nottingham Forest. 

The Norwegian international came off the bench in the second half to net his 21st goal of the campaign and double the advantage in the champions' 2-0 win over Forest.