No comparison between Haaland and Messi for Guardiola
FT Desk
- 7 Oct 2022 17:38 BST
- 3 min read
Erling Haaland has matched Lionel Messi by scoring for nine games in a row under Pep Guardiola, but that is where the similarities end for the Manchester City manager.
Haaland has been making a mockery of his €60 million transfer fee since swapping Borussia Dortmund for Man City in the summer, scoring 19 goals in all competitions at a rate of one every 50 minutes he has played.
The most recent of those came as the big Norwegian scored a brace as Guardiola's side thrashed FC Copenhagen 5-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Haaland picking up the ref’s vanishing spray during the game. Football is too easy for this man 😂 pic.twitter.com/FYfjxI3n52
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) October 6, 2022
It was the ninth consecutive game that Haaland has scored in, something Messi managed under Guardiola at Barcelona back in 2010, but when the comparison was put to the Catalan tactician, he urged caution.
Pep: 'Erling's a different player'
"The people who compare Erling with Leo, I think we don't help," he said. "How many 'new Messis' appeared in the world of football since I started? Ten, 15? Always you fail. Erling has to do his own career, his own job. He's a different player."
Pep has managed at Bayern Munich as well as Barcelona and City, so he is accustomed to dealing with star players. He says that Haaland's lightning-quick impact at the Etihad has caused little concern among incumbent players such as Kevin De Bruyne.
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"For me, it's OK," said Guardiola. "We're fortunate that the guys who are here accept it perfectly. At other clubs, other people, would not like it. Here they are delighted. We have Kevin who is an exceptional person and is happy to have him, because both know they can be better playing alongside."
Messi was linked with a move to City last summer before joining Paris Saint-Germain on the expiration of his Barca contract. He is out of contract again next summer. Whether a Barca return or a reuniting with Guardiola materialises remains to be seen.
