The Norwegian striker scored 52 goals for Man City last season in all competitions. That achievement naturally raises the standard for evaluating this striker. Haaland’s constant scoring seems to have become a routine habit, so when he failed to score in four consecutive matches (Tottenham, Aston Villa, Burnley, Brentford), many people immediately doubted the 23-year-old striker’s form. year old.

In response to negative opinions about his student Haaland, at the press conference before Man City’s trip to Copenhagen in the 1/8 round of the Champions League, coach Pep Guardiola defended his number 1 striker at Man City. Now, recalling that the Norwegian star has scored more goals in the UEFA Champions League than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the age of 23.

“If Erling doesn’t score today, tomorrow or next week, it’s not a big deal. He is very strong. Scoring goals is Haaland’s instinct. He can handle scoring in a perfect way thanks to his strong mentality. Once he scores 1 goal, Haaland will want to score a second or third goal.

You can see his goals. In the Champions League, we need to know that neither Messi nor Ronaldo can score as much as Haaland at the age of 23.”

Indeed, at the age of 23, Erling Haaland has scored 40 goals in the UCL (8 at Salzburg, 15 at Dortmund and 17 at Man City). Meanwhile, before turning 24, Lionel Messi was 3 goals behind the Norwegian striker in Europe’s No. 1 arena (37 goals). And Cristiano Ronaldo just scored 8 goals in the UCL at the age of 23.

Haaland’s birthday is in July. Therefore, this striker has a great opportunity to increase the number of goals in the Champions League before turning 24 years old, especially when Man City is considered the top candidate for the throne. King this season.

However, perhaps Erling Haaland’s goal is still to surpass the career scoring achievements of his two seniors at UCL. While Messi has scored 129 goals, Ronaldo is leading the tournament’s scoring list with 140 goals.