NOlway superstar Erling Haaland is now on another planet. And even iconic head coach Pep Guardiola has officially said comparisons to two of football’s greatest modern icons are on the table.
Haaland’s robot dance goes viral as Manchester City overwhelm Bournemouth
Haaland scored twice in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth, taking his total to 26 goals for club and country this season (including 17 goals in just 13 games for City). Looking at such numbers, Guardiola said the 24-year-old striker was performing in the same statistical stratosphere once possessed by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“This is what it’s like when you play with Messi and Ronaldo,” Guardiola said after the match. “His influence is huge. You look at the numbers, right? Of course he’s at that level.”
Fitness guru reveals surprising changes after 3 months of intense training
Haaland has the upper hand on the field
Guardiola acknowledges that Messi and Ronaldo have dominated international competition at the highest level for more than a decade – both for club and country, but believes Haaland’s mindset shows he is built for the same type of greatness.
Haaland takes over Halloween with his memorable Joker personification
“The first goal, the way he shot the ball, it was like, ‘We’re going to score,'” Pep said. “He has that hungry spirit, which is great.”
The City manager also praised Haaland’s leadership and acceptance of criticism, noting that Erling “lives for goals” and accepts pressure, which can “sometimes be tough” on his star striker. City certainly needed his killer instinct. With this win, they moved up to second place in the Premier League standings and kept themselves on pace for title contention.
Rising talent fuels offense
Pep also highlighted the growing role of French playmaker Rayan Cherki, who assisted Haaland’s two goals against the Cherries.
“He has a special talent,” Guardiola said. “The vision in the final third is great…step by step he can understand what we need to do.”Nico O’Reilly rounded out the scoring with a superb finish after half-time to seal the win, which showcased City’s evolving but still deadly attacking prowess.
Not only is Erling Haaland a world-class scorer, he has also been compared to Messi and Ronaldo by a manager who coached both of them. If this trend continues, we may see the next era-defining superstar take full control.
