Pep Guardiola reveals what Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have that Erling Haaland doesn’t… yet

He’s unstoppable. He proved it himself out on the pitch, sprinting toward goal with defenders chasing helplessly behind. No one can stop Erling Haaland.

That much was clear again in Manchester City’s latest win over Bournemouth, and even Andoni Iraola, the Cherries’ head coach, admitted as much in his postgame remarks. Pep Guardiola went a step further, comparing Haaland to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a comparison he later backed up with numbers.

At just 25 years old, the Norwegian has already scored 322 goals for club and country. His impact at City is monumental. In fact, he’s scored more goals this season than all of his teammates combined. He’s the only player in the squad with more than two, putting him well on course to claim another Premier League Golden Boot. Inside the Etihad, there’s hope that his scoring form will carry them to yet another league title.

Guardiola defends City’s dependency on Haaland

When asked whether it was a concern that no one else was finding the net regularly, Guardiola didn’t seem worried.

“O’Reilly scored today! These things happen,” he said with a smile. “Against Swansea he didn’t play and we scored three. It’s like playing with Messi or Cristiano; their influence is enormous. Of course we need other players to score too, and we had our chances.”

Haaland “at Ronaldo and Messi’s level”

Pressed on whether Haaland had truly reached Messi and Ronaldo’s level, Guardiola didn’t hesitate.

“Have you seen his numbers? Of course,” he said. “The difference is that Messi and Cristiano did it for 15 years, and they’re still scoring in the United States and Saudi Arabia. But yes, he’s at that level. The way he struck that first goal… he knows he’s going to score. He has that hunger. It’s incredible to work with him. Sometimes I’m tough on him, I tell him he has to improve, but he’s open to that, and not every player is. Without him, it would be very hard.”

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