Star striker Erling Haaland has publicly dismissed comparisons to football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, asserting his focus remains squarely on team victories despite effusive praise from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
Haaland firmly rejected his coach’s assessment, stating during a press conference that he is “very far from” the level of the two Ballon d’Or winners. “No, not at all, very far from it. Nobody comes close to them,” the Norwegian international said.
Guardiola had previously compared Haaland’s influence to that of Messi and Ronaldo, noting the Norwegian’s scoring prowess. “It’s like when you play with Messi or Ronaldo, their influence is huge. Look at [Haaland’s] statistics. Of course, he is at that level,” Guardiola commented. “Messi and Ronaldo did it for 15 years, but it’s the same level.”
Pep Guardiola compara Haaland a Messi e Cristiano Ronaldo 🐐 pic.twitter.com/fHn0l1Rk80
— B24 (@B24PT) October 30, 2023
Haaland’s comments came ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland: "Comparação com Messi e CR7? Ninguém se aproxima deles" 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/eXU5rYyHh7
— B24 (@B24PT) October 30, 2023
The forward recently scored two goals against Bournemouth, contributing to a 3-1 Premier League victory. This brought his season total to 17 goals in 13 games across all competitions.
Guardiola highlighted Haaland’s humility as a rare trait for a player of his caliber. “It’s hard to find a world-class player who is incredibly humble and thinks about what’s best for the team. And Erling is like that,” the Spanish coach said.
Guardiola added that this attitude was a “surprise” because “normally a striker only thinks about scoring, scoring and scoring.”
Haaland, who recently became one of the team’s captains, explained his perspective. “I try to help the team win games, that’s my job and my only concern,” he said, smiling. “I know it’s boring and you’d like me to say otherwise, but it’s not like that.”
He added that his approach is “completely normal,” insisting he does not consider himself different simply because he scores goals. Haaland affirmed he will not change his attitude.
He further stated he is not thinking about breaking individual records, such as Alan Shearer’s 260 goals in the Premier League.