“Not Even [Lionel] Messi or Cristiano [Ronaldo] Has These Numbers at This Age” – Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland’s UCL Goalscoring Record

Manchester City has a tricky encounter against Copenhagen next in the UCL. However, a big boost to the side is the return of Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker suffered a foot injury in December, which ruled him out for over a month. However, the Everton game showcased his otherworldly goal-scoring prowess once again. And it seems that manager Pep Guardiola realizes that Haaland is on course to achieve something ‘special’.

In a recent presser, the Spanish manager spoke of Haaland’s immense goal-scoring stats. The 23-year-old has a staggering 40 goals in 35 UCL games! Guardiola asserted, “You see his numbers at his age. In the Champions League not even [Lionel] Messi or Cristiano [Ronaldo] had these numbers at his age.” It’s not just in the UCL where Erling Haaland outperforms the legendary duo. Before turning 23, he had racked up 201 career goals while Messi and Ronaldo had hit 140 & 102, respectively.

Furthermore, Haaland is also the quickest and youngest player to hit 40 goals in the competition. And the Spanish manager knows the secret behind his success in front of the goal. Guardiola revealed, “We never put him in pressure. Oh, you have to score a goal for us. No. Be involved in what we have to do and the rest will come naturally.” The Man City boss also praised the ‘strong mentality’ of his striker to continue to push himself to score goals.

The 53-year-old said, “He’s so strong mentally. Always you know score one goal, go another one second, and will the third”. Man City fans sorely missed the goalscoring machine in January & December. However, it could actually be a blessing in disguise. Guardiola explains why.

The injury spell made Erling Haaland ‘fresh’ per Pep Guardiola

Following the Everton game, the treble-winning manager made an interesting admission regarding the towering striker. He said, “Erling came back for pre-season and said, ‘I’m still tired’, no [time to] refresh for this schedule, it’s normal. Now, he’s fresh because it has been two months.” The Norwegian ace missed 12 games in this period.

Read More: “It’s Been Horrible”- Erling Haaland Opens Up On His Rehabilitation Days After Painful Foot Injury

It’s not just Haaland who is back from injury, but star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is fit & firing as well. And the return of the star duo offers some ‘special qualities’ to the Sky Blues. Guardiola explained, “They have the ability in the final third to create something that is not in the statistics, not in the books, not in the genius managers and so on.”

With Haaland & KDB back, can the Cityzens push for an unprecedented 2nd treble? Tell us in the comments below.

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