Erling Haaland acknowledges that he is not yet on the same level as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the Manchester City striker feels he is on track to surpass his personal best of 56 goals in a season.
Following Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth, manager Pep Guardiola once again drew comparisons between Haaland’s statistics and those of Messi and Ronaldo, noting that both legends maintained their performance over 15 seasons. When asked if he sees himself in the same category, the 25-year-old Haaland replied, “No, not at all. I’m far off. No one can come close to them.”
So far this season, Haaland has scored 26 goals in 16 matches across all competitions, which includes 13 goals in the Premier League, four in the Champions League, and nine for Norway. City could potentially play up to 52 more games this season, while Norway might have an additional 12 matches if they reach the World Cup final, along with several friendlies. When questioned about surpassing his record from the 2022-2023 season, he said, “I had a total of 56 with the national team, so I’m on a good path. But I don’t really think about it.”
Alan Shearer, the all-time Premier League top scorer with 260 goals, believes Haaland will eventually break his record. Haaland commented, “I don’t really keep track of records, but I know about this one. I focus on helping the team win games. I know it sounds boring, and you want me to say otherwise, but that’s the truth.”
Haaland’s two goals against Bournemouth came from well-timed runs that kept him onside. He humorously noted how often he has been offside since joining City in the summer of 2022. “I’m never offside—come on! Since I came to City, I’ve been offside 18 times. So, 18 times in three and a half years is acceptable. I hate being offside. With VAR, if you’re offside, you’ll definitely get caught. VAR has actually helped me because it makes the decisions clear. If I’m close to being offside, there’s a good chance I won’t be flagged.”
Guardiola added, “I’ve seen it happen a few times. Sometimes, I prefer that we don’t see each other. Bournemouth was very demanding, so I’d rather they stayed home, and we’ll train tomorrow morning.”
