Pep Guardiola is right: Erling Haaland is on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s level when it comes to goal-scoring – and he hasn’t even reached his peak

The Norwegian is currently surpassing the expected timeline in his endeavour to outperform the two prominent figures in the contemporary sport, following a rejuvenating summer break from the game.

In a previous instance this year, Erling Haaland was enquired about the necessity of Lionel Messi’s retirement for him to commence securing the Ballon d’Or and The FIFA Best honours. The Norwegian has some doubts, but was willing to acknowledge Messi as the greatest player in history.

Messi has achieved the remarkable feat of winning eight Ballons d’Or, and even upon his retirement, it may prove exceedingly difficult for anybody to surpass his accomplishments. Messi appears poised to continue being the leading figure even when he retires from professional football, just like Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the Golden Ball award five times.

However, only a few days ago, Pep Guardiola was content to elevate Haaland to the same level as the two players widely considered to be the greatest players of the 21st century, although with an important condition.

Haaland, once again, scored the opening goal of City’s Premier League season, just as he had done in the previous two seasons. This time, Chelsea was on the receiving end of his goal. The Norwegian scored his 91st goal in 100 games at City, prompting Guardiola to lavish him with the utmost accolades.
At the same level as them

“Regarding my No.9, he possesses the contact information of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have dominated the past decade, specifically 15 years, in every aspect,” stated Guardiola. “In terms of numerical value, it is at that level.” It is remarkable how he manages to score 91 goals in 100 games in the Premier League, however I am unsure of his method. It is inconceivable in this nation.
Excess free time

It is unlikely that Haaland will surpass Messi and Ronaldo in terms of Ballon d’Or wins, particularly if Kylian Mbappe plays a role in it. However, when it comes to the number of goals scored, he is at the same level as them. Indeed, he surpasses them in terms of his age.

Messi holds the record for the highest number of goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues, with a total of 496 goals, closely followed by Ronaldo with 495 goals. Haaland’s current tally stands at 122, but, he still has a considerable amount of time at his disposal. The individual from Norway celebrated their 24th birthday in the month of July. Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia at the age of 37, but Messi left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami shortly after turning 36.

Earlier than anticipated
He is making good progress towards catching the couple, and is even somewhat ahead of the planned timeline. Excluding the goal he scored against Chelsea, Haaland had accumulated a total of 152 league goals by the time he reached his 24th birthday. However, if we exclude the goals scored by Messi and Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League and MLS, we must also exclude Haaland’s 14 goals in the highest division of Norwegian football for Molde and his 17 goals in the Austrian Bundesliga while playing for Red Bull Salzburg.

By his 24th birthday, he has accumulated a total of 121 goals. In contrast, Messi had scored 119 goals in La Liga at the same point in time. At this juncture, Ronaldo, who had only represented Sporting CP and Manchester United, had accumulated a total of 77 goals in the Premier League.

Haaland’s goal record at his age surpasses that of other prominent attackers in the 21st century. At the age of 24, Robert Lewandowski had scored only 30 goals in the Bundesliga, whilst Harry Kane had already scored 78 goals in the Premier League. Based on the career trajectories of Haaland’s peers, it is evident that the Norwegian striker is currently reaching the pinnacle of his abilities, which is an intimidating proposition.

Only Mbappe can rival him.
Kylian Mbappe is the sole player who has scored more goals than anyone else in Europe’s top-five leagues before turning 24. He achieved this feat by scoring 135 goals in his initial seven seasons, playing for Monaco and later for PSG in Ligue 1. However, it is important to acknowledge that France is often considered to be the least strong among the ‘Big Five’.

Prior to Mbappe’s transfer to PSG, Edinson Cavani had netted a total of 35 goals in the preceding season. Prior to it, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had scored 38 goals. Prior to Haaland’s historic achievement of scoring 36 goals in the Premier League during the 2022-23 season, the most number of goals scored in a 38-game season was 32, achieved by Mohamed Salah in 2017-18.

Haaland achieved an incredible feat in the Premier League by surpassing the long-standing record of 34 goals in a single season, previously held by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole. This record was set during a time when there were 42 games played per season.

There is little doubt that Messi and Ronaldo, along with Mbappe, possess superior all-around skills compared to Haaland, who mostly focusses on scoring goals. Although it may appear severe, it is worth noting that he has achieved 12 assists in the league for Manchester City and has made a significant contribution of 19 assists in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund.

However, Messi’s La Liga record of 192 assists while playing for Barca and his 30 assists in two seasons in Ligue 1 far surpass those records. Ronaldo achieved a total of 87 assists in La Liga and an additional 37 assists in the Premier League, whereas Mbappe had 65 assists in Ligue 1.

Haaland’s undeniable strength lies in his scoring ability, which is the primary criterion by which he is evaluated. If he fails to score and, on the extremely infrequent occurrence, City does not emerge victorious, he is frequently designated as the culprit. It is advantageous that he possesses exceptional skills in scoring goals, and City remains highly dominant even in his absence.

Remain in that location and observe’
During Haaland’s absence of two months last season due to a foot injury, City maintained an undefeated record, with only one draw. On Sunday, he cleverly alluded to his limited participation in City’s overall performance following the victory at Stamford Bridge.

“Pep will not appreciate my statement, but they are not in need of my services,” the Norwegian remarked. “I can simply observe without taking any action.” I desire to increase my level of engagement, as that is Pep’s preference. However, in games of this nature, is it necessary for me to be significantly more engaged? That is the question worth a million dollars.

If Haaland had failed to score against Chelsea, his game statistics would have been heavily criticised. His pass completion rate was a mere 38 percent, successfully connecting with a teammate on only three out of eight tries. He took two shots and made only 17 touches. Four of those touches contributed to the goal, showcasing a fine display of control in the penalty area, followed by a well executed shot.

Undoubtedly, many aspects of a striker’s performance go unnoticed, as it is not solely focused on powerful shoots and dominant headers. A proficient forward such as Haaland strategically engages the opposing defenders, creating opportunities for his teammates to exploit.

Guardiola has emphasised this fact on the occasions when Haaland has had limited involvement and failed to score, and Haaland himself reiterated these assertions in west London. “I am eager to contribute to the team’s success by optimising player positioning,” he stated. “In order to provide an additional metre of space for my teammates.” It is challenging for me to create space between the center-backs by making a run, but it is my responsibility to do so.

Caution to all individuals
Although Haaland’s position may not always be glamourous, he only requires one favourable action to have a significant impact, as he demonstrated at Stamford Bridge. Next, he will be playing the type of game that he thoroughly enjoys, which is a home match against the recently promoted Ipswich Town.

During his initial campaign at City, he achieved a hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium against Nottingham Forest, who were the winners of the play-offs at that time. During the previous season, albeit it was in the FA Cup, he scored an impressive five goals against Luton. Ipswich should prepare themselves for another impressive display by Haaland, but the rest of the league has already been alerted to his abilities.

“I sensed that he is in a better state than he was at this point last season,” Guardiola stated. “Following the previous season, he experienced a sense of ambivalence or fatigue.” Regrettably, Norway was absent from the Euros this season, allowing for extra rest. Nevertheless, the individual in question expresses feeling well.

Considering that Haaland managed to score 27 goals in a single season despite missing two months due to a fractured foot and still showing signs of the injury upon his return, the prospect of him being completely healthy and rejuvenated should be a cause for concern for every defence and goalkeeper in the Premier League. Haaland’s emergence as a formidable player should serve as a cautionary message to Messi and Ronaldo regarding their records.

Haaland has accumulated one-fourth of the goals scored by Messi and Ronaldo, and he has 12 years to catch up.Coaches have historically been cautious when it comes to drawing comparisons between players like Messi or Ronaldo, but Guardiola possesses the necessary expertise to make such assessments. He supervised Messi’s ascent at Barcelona and encountered Ronaldo frequently in La Liga, the Champions League, and the Premier League.This is not a moment of arrogance or excessive pride from the Catalan. His comparison of Haaland to Messi and Ronaldo was accurate.