Erling Haaland’s Ballon d’Or loss still a win for Manchester City: Pep Guardiola
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Manchester City's Erling Haaland after being awarded the Gerd Muller Award recognising the best striker at the 2023 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony on Oct 30.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Erling Haaland might have missed out on the Ballon d’Or, but his manager said the Norwegian finishing second still constitutes a win for Manchester City.
Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or on Monday after helping Argentina to win World Cup 2022, where he was named the best player.
Haaland finishing second after scoring 52 goals in 53 games as City won a historic treble of the English Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
France star Kylian Mbappe, who was the top scorer at the World Cup and scored a hat-trick in the final, was third while Haaland’s City teammate Kevin de Bruyne finished fourth. City’s Rodri, Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva also finished in the top 10.
Speaking ahead of City’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Saturday, Guardiola said of Haaland: “I saw him so happy to be a contender close to Messi, Mbappe and the rest of players. It was a good night for Man City. Big congratulations for Messi and (Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Aitana) Bonmati for the awards.
“Man City were there. It was so important for us because in the past, many times we weren’t there. For the first time, we were important being there.
“Haaland has all his career ahead of him. He has to continue winning and has a chance to say, ‘Maybe next season I can be there’. He was really pleased to be in there, he was well when he came back.”
Guardiola was also pleased with a midweek off owing to their early League Cup exit.
Their opponents Bournemouth lost 2-1 to Liverpool on Wednesday, and along with the Reds, fellow title rivals Arsenal were also in action in the Cup.
“It’s nice to have a break, a week, one or two days off,” said the Spaniard, whose side regularly play more games than their rivals due to their extended runs in cup competitions.
“The guys come back rejuvenated. We don’t complain when we have a lot of games in a row and we don’t complain when we have time off.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash, Guardiola signalled his respect for compatriot Andoni Iraola, who has had a difficult start to life in England, with his Cherries one point above the relegation zone.
Said the City boss: “They played very well versus Liverpool. Iraola did an incredible job at Rayo Vallecano. He plays in an offensive and attractive (way). He has a team with a good spirit.
“The idea is there (at Bournemouth). Of course, training in the Premier League is a success for him... He is so intelligent. I don’t see anything will be different tomorrow.”
Having a better start to his time in England is City’s Belgian winger Jeremy Doku, who arrived from Rennes in the summer.
Guardiola said of the 21-year-old: “He is so young. He listens, he improves. He realises what we suggest and carries it out immediately. His impact has been really, really good. From the beginning, the bench, his impact has been massive.”
