Erling Haaland is preparing to tap in his ninth goal of the season when Craig Dawson, stretching every muscle, reaches the ball with his big toe and diverts it behind.
As they prepare for the corner, Haaland offers Dawson his hand and claps his marker on the shoulder in a show of admiration.
The clip has been viewed 74,000 times on YouTube: future Ballon d’Or thwarted by reigning Ballon d’Awson — as the Wolves centre back was nicknamed at West Ham.
Wolves will be underdogs when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday but Dawson’s work against Haaland shows he can handle the best. When the pair crossed swords at Molineux on September 30, Haaland had 14 touches and a single shot — his lowest tallies in either category this season. Wolves won 2-1.
Not bad for a player who reached the top the hard way. Although a talented youngster, Dawson did not make the grade immediately. Before hometown club Rochdale signed him, he was earning £50 a week playing for Radcliffe Borough in the Northern Premier League — while also collecting glasses three nights a week at a local pub.
Craig Dawson was given the affectionate nickname ‘Ballon d’Awson’ while at West Ham
The English centre back was given the unenviable job of marking Erling Haaland earlier this season
Dawson made it to the top the hard way – playing in all four divisions and recording almost 500 senior appearances
Now 33 and in his 15th season, Dawson has played in all four divisions and has recorded nearly 500 senior appearances.
Sitting in a meeting room at his club’s training base, conducting his first newspaper interview since joining Wolves nearly a year ago, Dawson recalls the moment he was told by head coach Gary O’Neil he would be marking Haaland. ‘OK, right, cheers boss!’ he says with a smile. ‘But we had a very detailed game plan and we stuck to it.
‘Football is on the TV so much every youngster could probably tell me the ins and outs of Haaland, his movements, what he does in certain situations and how he scores his goals. But then going out and doing it is a bit different.
‘The handshake is not something that happens too often between opponents during games and it was a nice moment.’
Dawson has said in previous interviews that he is not regarded as a ‘fancy’ footballer. Asked to elaborate, he says he is viewed as ‘an old-fashioned centre half. Not “Dawsinho!” No frills and I think sometimes people like frills.’
Before this interview, Mail Sport sent Dawson a list of forwards he had faced during 12 years as a Premier League player. Sergio Aguero, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah were among the names on an impressive roll call.
‘There are so many world-class players on there — each unique,’ says Dawson. ‘The consistency, the movement, pace, experience, understanding, ability to score goals.
‘Aguero was always one. His movement… you didn’t know where he was. You’d look and he’d be gone. Then Olivier Giroud… everyone says, “He’s just a link man” but technically he’s very good, so strong, powerful in the air. He’s still performing at the top level at the age of 37. In today’s Premier League, you think about Haaland and Salah.’
The 33-year-old has faced some of the greatest strikers the Premier League has ever seen
The Wolves defender was full of praise for the movement of Manchester City’s record goal scorer Sergio Aguero
Dawson has made the second-most blocks in the Premier League this season – behind only Everton’s James Tarkowski
Dawson was a promising cricketer in his youth, playing alongside New Zealand’s Lou Vincent and Ryan Hinds of West Indies at Rochdale CC in the Central Lancashire League. He also had trials for Lancashire.
Here he considers each answer carefully, as though pacing an innings on a green early-season pitch. He has a deadpan sense of humour and refreshing lack of brashness. He rarely uses social media.
You sense he is broadly the same bloke whose response to rejection by Manchester City, Bolton, Bury and — initially — Rochdale was simply to work harder, ‘running the streets of Rochdale in the rain’ as he chased his dream. After early appearances for Rochdale, he would sometimes head straight for the local cricket club to watch his brother in action.
Dawson’s past and present collide on Saturday, when he faces close friend and former team-mate Declan Rice. The pair struck up an excellent rapport during two years together at West Ham and remain in regular contact.
Though he did not coin the ‘Ballon d’Awson’ nickname, Rice picked it up and ran with it, helping the label gain notoriety. ‘He definitely took pleasure in winding me up for the Ballon d’Awson thing,’ says Dawson. ‘I think it was a fan who came up with it and then suddenly it was everywhere.’
Rice has settled instantly after joining Arsenal for £105million last summer and is a key member of the England squad who are one of the favourites for Euro 2024.
Dawson believes Rice belongs in the top bracket. ‘Playing and training with him you can see his full potential, particularly as he played so many games in front of me. I can only see him getting stronger and stronger. What really stands out is his presence on the pitch, how he can control a game, how he can run past players and his quality on the ball is very good.
‘Dec is a great person who is doing well for club and country and can only improve at Arsenal. It will be good to see him but it will be a really tough game.’
Dawson was just as popular with Hammers supporters as with his former colleagues, and many were disappointed when he left to be closer to his family. He was an integral part of the team who reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, with his display in the quarter-final win over Sevilla catching the eye of manager Julen Lopetegui.
When the Spaniard took over at Wolves last November, he knew exactly who he wanted to anchor his defence, and Dawson made the £3.3m switch in January, scoring on his debut against Liverpool.
West Ham had been reluctant to agree to the transfer. Dawson says: ‘I had to move north again for personal reasons. I loved West Ham. It was a family and we were a close-knit team. Part of me was sad not to have played in the Conference League final but I was delighted they won.’
A promising cricketer in his youth, Dawson played alongside New Zealand international Lou Vincent (pictured) at Rochdale CC
He struck up a strong friendship with Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice – who he faces on Saturday – while at West Ham
Julen Loptegeui brought in Dawson at the earliest opportunity after taking over Wolves in November 2022
Dawson also reveals he has yet to receive a Europa Conference League winner’s medal. He was at Wolves when the Hammers beat Fiorentina in Prague but made four appearances in the early stages and scored in the 3-2 win at Danish club Silkeborg last September.
Yet focus is now on Wolves, who are having a commendable season under O’Neil — not helped by several controversial VAR decisions which their manager believes have cost them seven points. ‘It is clear some of the VAR decisions have gone against us, we just don’t seem to be getting much luck with them,’ Dawson says. ‘It’s something I’m sure will be looked into.
‘We’re building a group of people who are together, fully focused and in it for each other. You can see on the pitch those connections. When I say “group”, it has to be the whole club.
‘What we have here can be very exciting but we have to keep going. It’s up to the players to bring it all together. You can see defenders and midfielders celebrating tackles and blocks when they put their bodies on the line. That’s the atmosphere and drive we’ve created.’
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