Up there with Messi and Ronaldo? ‘Haaland will become a GOAT’
FT Desk
- 19 Oct 2022 19:30 BST
- 3 min read
We all know that Erling Haaland is good. But just how good can the record-breaking Manchester City striker become once he reaches his peak?
Sven-Goran Eriksson knows a thing or two about managing top strike talent.
During his long, illustrious career with the likes of England, Lazio, Sampdoria and City themselves the Swede had under his care some of the game's premier attackers, including such titans as Wayne Rooney, Roberto Mancini, Marcelo Salas and Gabriel Batistuta.
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In Eriksson's opinion, Haaland has what it takes to make it to the very top of the game.
"If he goes on like this, Erling Haaland will be the top scorer. Haaland is a great player, and is outstanding in the box," he explained to OLBG.
"He’s playing in the right team because the ball is always in the last third. They build up and keep the ball, so he will have so many opportunities and he’s taking them. He’s physically strong, quick, a good header of the ball and finisher too, he has everything.
"If he doesn’t lose his head, which is very important, and he doesn’t get bad injuries then I think he’ll be one of the greatest ever.
"Of course he won’t win a World Cup with Norway but he will win a lot of titles, especially if he stays at Manchester City."
Haaland is making a name for himself at an interesting time in world football.
After more than a decade of domination Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are reaching the end of their glittering careers and, while each man is still capable of turning it on when needed, they appear ready to hand the torch over to the next generation.
Of that group, the Norwegian seems ideally placed to make his own case as the greatest.
Messi and Ronaldo's heir-apparent?
While fellow challengers like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar seem bogged down in apparent unrest at Paris Saint-Germain Haaland is singularly focused on smashing goals at an incredible rate, 20 already so far in his debut City season including 15 in just 10 Premier League matches.
That is a record pace, and one even if it slows down should see him stroll to the top scorer award in the English top flight come the end of the season. And it does not even include his oft-overlooked link play: with three league assists already Haaland provides at a similar rate to colleagues Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden.
At just 22 he is already closing on 200 goals, a mark he could well pass by the end of 2022-23. By way of comparison Ronaldo had managed 55 at the same age, while on the eve of his 23rd birthday and after smashing 38 in his all-conquering 2008-09 campaign Messi was still on just 80 for Barcelona.
The pair's records once looked out of reach for any possible successor, but Haaland has forced a swift recalculation. And if he continues at this blistering pace he could well have a right to be counted amongst the very best to ever play the game before too long.
