MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Pep Guardiola believes Erling Haaland could etch his name alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi among the game’s greatest strikers with his “ridiculous” scoring numbers.
Haaland bagged a hat-trick in City’s 4-1 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday, the 10th for the Premier League club.
“The numbers are ridiculous,” Guardiola told reporters. “He can compete in terms of goals with Cristiano and Messi. The numbers are unbelievable at his age. He’s an incredible threat, hopefully he can be here for many years.”
Two games into the season and the 24-year-old Haaland has four goals in what could well be a third consecutive Golden Boot campaign. His overall record at the club is 94 goals in 101 appearances.
The battering ram of a forward, who missed nearly two months last season with a foot injury, benefited from a restful summer after Norway failed to qualify for Euro 2024.
“I said a few weeks ago, he feels better than previous seasons,” Guardiola said. “This season, no Euros, relax and arrive well.
“Last season he struggled a lot, especially at the beginning. He felt tired and niggles most of the time. This time, with the rest with no Euros, he has arrived with a good vibe.”
Haaland recently said he felt better than ever.
“I don’t have any pain in my body which is the first time for a long time,” he said. “It’s amazing — you can push yourself more because you don’t have something in the back of your head. I had a long pre-season, I enjoyed it.”
Neither Kyle Walker nor Phil Foden featured in Saturday’s win at Etihad Stadium since they were late to rejoin Guardiola’s squad after playing for England in the Euro final. Key midfielder Rodri is not fully fit after suffering an injury in playing in that final for Spain.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Ed Osmond)
