Germany legend explains why Haaland may struggle to reach Messi and Ronaldo's level
FT Desk
- 14 Feb 2022 09:39 GMT
- 8 min read
Former Dortmund and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has suggested that Erling Haaland will never reach Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s level if he can’t overcome his injury problems.
The Norway international was once again forced to watch his side’s Bundesliga action from the stands on Sunday afternoon, as Dortmund ran out 3-0 winners over Union Berlin.
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Despite bagging a remarkable 23 goals and six assists for the club this season, Haaland has already missed a number of games through injury.
And it’s becoming a growing concern for pundits in Germany and possibly the kind of clubs that would hope to sign him in the summer.
Haaland, along with Kylian Mbappe, has been tipped to become a leading player in European football over the next 10 years, but Lehmann believes his injury concerns could end up limiting his success as a player.
“One thing is clear, he is a world-class player if he always plays. He needs to improve there,” said Lehmann on Die Lage der Liga on Sunday.
“I don't know if he's prone to injury, but he won't play today because he's injured. He has to do more for his body.”
He added: "Messi and Ronaldo have played every game for what feels like 10 years, including Lewandowski and Lahm.
“When it comes to Ronaldo, we all think it's great that he lives an ascetic life. And as a young player I would take that as a role model. He needs to do more for himself.”
How many games has Haaland missed through injury?
Since making the move to Dortmund in January 2021, Haaland has been a complete force of nature in front of goal, bagging no less than 80 goals and 21 assists in 79 games for the club.
However, along the way, the towering striker has unfortunately picked up a number of injuries.
His first issue came in early 2020, when a knee injury ruled him out for two games and then resurfaced again five months later to rule him out for one more match.
Then, in December 2020, Haaland tore a muscle fibre in his llef which forced the player to take no less than a month off, which ruled him out for a further seven games. The player then bounced back and had a strong end to the 2020/21 season, only missing two more games through a minor muscle issue and a knock.
This season has unfortunately been rather frustrating for the striker too, with another muscle injury in September ruling him out for three weeks and a further three games, then a hip flexor issue flared up just a few weeks after his return to rule him out for a further 34 days and seven matches.
The player then picked up a minor muscle injury in late January, which ruled him out of his side's 5-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on February 6 and the 3-0 win over Union Berlin on February 13.
In total, Haaland has missed no less than 19 games through injury for Dortmund since joining the club. Which works out at around 19 percent of all potential games since he made the move to Germany.
