Aside from his reaction to Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal this month, the years since have seen the back-to-back Premier League Golden Boot winner develop something of a robotic reputation but, even at that stage, Doyle struggled to get a rise from the emerging star.
“I did try to wind him up, give him a wee bit off the ball, but it didn’t bother him one bit.
“A proper professional, I suppose. I wouldn’t say cool and calm, but you just didn’t get a reaction out of him.
“He just looked at you to say, ‘who are you?’ sort of thing. Which was right – who am I?”
While Doyle remembers tackling the teenager being akin to “hitting a brick wall”, all those scouts descending upon the game were able to get an unexpected jump on the traffic during a game Glenavon won 2-1 to claim a first European victory in 23 years.
“I had to be up for it and ready. I knew what was coming.
“But he didn’t get much of a kick. Our pitch wasn’t the best, not like at Glenavon now, and maybe that played a part.
“He was moved to left wing for the last 20 minutes of the game and 10 minutes later he got taken off.”
When leaving Glenavon after seven years this summer, the club’s statement on Doyle’s departure referenced his marking job on Haaland, although the man himself is quick to stress he cannot take sole credit for the burgeoning superstar’s early exit six summers ago.
With a laugh, however, he admits that modesty does not always extend to social situations when he is “quick to remind the boys in the bar” watching Haaland now of the day he got the better of the world’s most feared striker.