Erling Haaland is currently making headlines as he scored a hat-trick during Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town on Saturday. This impressive performance has elevated his season tally to four goals in just two matches, and he now boasts a remarkable 67 goals in 68 Premier League appearances. As he continues to shine on the pitch, many are speculating that he may soon claim the title of the most prolific goalscorer in Premier League history, and potentially even etch his name among the greatest goalscorers of all time.
Despite Haaland’s remarkable achievements, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola maintains that Lionel Messi holds the title of the greatest center forward of all time.
“The most incredible forward I have ever seen is Messi — I’ve never said something like that,” Guardiola stated during an interview with beIN SPORTS on Saturday. He was asked whether he considered Haaland the “most complete” center forward he had ever encountered.
[Related: Man City manager compares Erling Haaland to Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo]
During his tenure at FC Barcelona, Messi scored an astonishing 211 goals in 219 matches under Guardiola’s guidance, also contributing 94 assists. He remains Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer and is recognized as the top goalscorer in La Liga history, with a staggering 474 goals—Cristiano Ronaldo follows with 311.
While Haaland has yet to reach the statistical heights achieved by Messi and Ronaldo, Guardiola believes that the young striker is already making a compelling case for legendary status in the realm of goal-scoring.
“The numbers with Erling are unbelievable,” Guardiola remarked. “I think he can sit at the table, in terms of scoring goals, with Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Messi, that’s for sure.”
