Erling Haaland brought back down to earth in Lionel Messi comparison

Man City boss Guardiola backs Haaland to break Dean's record

Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland has the same mentality and hunger for goals as the greatest of all time Lionel Messi. But the Manchester City manager insists the Norwegian still has a way to go before he can even get “close” to being as good an all-round player as the Argentine.

Guardiola has spent much of this season resisting invitations to make comparisons between the two goalscoring giants. He oversaw Messi’s rise into a global phenomenon while at Barcelona earlier in his managerial career.

But after Haaland reached 50 goals at the weekend in his debut City campaign, the Catalan finally conceded that the pair share more than a few similar traits when it comes to the art of scoring goals. He said when asked if he saw parallels: “It doesn’t help anyone to be compared with the Argentina player but in terms of goals and mentality yes.

“Messi has done it every season in the last 10 to 15 seasons, but Erling since he started and at Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, and he has got to the same level in terms of goals. It’s almost every game, he scores a goal.

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“One or two every game, he had the chances to do it. Messi is the most complete player I have seen in terms of vision, dribbles, passes, competitiveness. Hopefully Erling can be so close to Leo, that will be great for us and him.”

Messi scored over 50 goals six times for Barcelona during a nine-year spell between 2010 and 2019 racking up an astonishing 73 in the 2011-12 season, Guardiola’s final year as manager at the Nou Camp. And ahead of Wednesday night’s game against West Ham, Haaland is just one away from breaking Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s jointly-held record of 34 goals in a Premier League season.

If that seems a formality, with potentially 10 games still to come in City’s season, there even the prospect of Dixie Dean’s pre-war record of 63 goals in a single campaign in all competitions being under threat. And the bad news for the rest of the league? Guardiola thinks he could get even better next season. 

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“Always I’ve said with Erling it will be tough when you look at what he has done and if he doesn’t score the goals like he’s scoring now people will say ‘Oh, he’s in a bad situation’,” said the City boss. “But his game can improve a lot.

“We have spoken about that. The movements, I wouldn’t say in the box but the game itself. I think he has that feeling ‘is that enough?’ I think his first control he can improve and it’s nice to have that feeling.

“I have the feeling when you talk with him one-on-one he is open-minded. ‘Yeah I have to do it, I can do it better’ and that’s so positive for his career and his life. He has the desire to get better as a player, as long as he has it he can do it. To go to work knowing you can do something better is the way.”

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