Pep Guardiola hails Erling Haaland as on same level as Messi, Ronaldo

SOUTHAMPTON –Erling Haaland is at the standard of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to finding the net after scoring twice on his return from injury in a 4-1 league win at Southampton on Saturday, his Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said.

The Norwegian has now scored 44 times in his debut season with the English champions, including becoming the fastest to reach 30 English Premier League goals. It took him only 27 appearances, outdoing former Manchester United and Newcastle United striker Andy Cole’s 32 games.

His total is now tied for the most by a Premier League player in all competitions in a single campaign, equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man United) in 2002-03 and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) in 2017-18.

“We have lived two incredible decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but he is on that level,” Guardiola told the BBC on Saturday.

Haaland’s second goal against Southampton was special, as the giant striker acrobatically volleyed home Jack Grealish’s cross with an overhead kick.

“The second goal was amazing. It is not easy to pick the ball up in the sky and put it on the grass,” added Guardiola, who coached Messi for four years as Barcelona boss.

“We need him. The first half was not our best level, but he changed the game... He scores a lot of goals. I am very happy with 65 minutes after injury and he helped us again.”

The 52-year-old Spaniard is confident Haaland has what it takes to emulate Ronaldo and Messi’s success over a long period, as long as the 22-year-old keeps clear of injury.

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer, in his column for the Athletic, is not only expecting the former Borussia Dortmund striker to “obliterate the Premier League record I share with Cole of 34 goals in a single season” but also to hit 60 goals in all competitions this season.

“At his current rate of averages in all competitions, with 44 in 38 appearances, he will storm past 50. Even that may be a disservice to him.

“Who knows, we could even be talking 60 and Dixie Dean territory. Scary,” added the England international, who holds the all-time Premier League top scorer title with 260 goals.

Shearer also highlighted the fact that Guardiola has been wrapping his star hitman in cotton wool, limiting the devastation he has been wreaking since touching English shores last summer.

Haaland has come off the pitch in his last three games, having played only 195 minutes but yet scoring 10 goals in that time against Leipzig, Burnley and Southampton.

Such numbers can leave an ominous cloud hanging over rivals Bayern Munich, whom City meet in the Champions League quarter-final, first leg on Tuesday, as well as Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Rivals cannot fixate on just neutralising Haaland, as the City juggernaut seem to be clicking at just the right time as the season reaches its business end.

City have drawn just twice in their last 12 matches, winning the rest, as creative stars such as Kevin de Bruyne and Grealish come into form.

De Bruyne, who became the fifth player but the fastest to reach 100 assists in the Premier League during the game against the Saints, has now managed six assists in his last four games for City.

Grealish, who also got on the score sheet with Julian Alvarez, has five goal involvements in the same period.

Guardiola heaped praise on his Belgian playmaker’s unusual ability to pick out passes while playing at speed.

“(Kevin) is exceptional,” he told Sky Sports, after de Bruyne took 56 games fewer than Cesc Fabregas (293) to reach 100 assists.

“The normal players, when you walk, you see everything. But when you run at high speed, you are not able to see what happened. He’s completely the opposite. That’s why he is an exceptional player.”

Victory took City to within five points of leaders Arsenal, ahead of the Gunners’ trip to Liverpool on Sunday, while Southampton, with Sekou Mara scoring their consolation, remain rooted to the foot of the table. AFP, REUTERS