“He is the only player who gets close to Cristiano in terms of knowing where the ball will land inside the box” – Manchester City star likens Erling Haaland to Ronaldo

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has likened his teammate Erling Haaland to Cristiano Ronaldo for his ability to find the ball inside the box.

The Norwegian striker has been on a rampage since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. He has already scored 20 times in 13 games in all competitions, including 15 in the Premier League.

He's leading the goalscoring charts by a comfortable margin and has struck three hat-tricks too, including in a 6-3 win against Manchester United.

The striker is showing exploits that are reminiscent of Ronaldo during his prime. The Portuguese netted a glut of goals with every side he's played for in the past.

Ahead of City's highly anticipated encounter with Liverpool on October 16, Silva feels Haaland comes closest to Ronaldo in terms of his penalty-box instincts.

In a recent interview, he said (via The Arab Times):

“Honestly, I was speaking with a few friends the other day and I said he is the only player who gets close to Cristiano in terms of knowing where the ball will land inside the box. He’s got that smell of knowing where it lands and he’s so quick and strong, which is not easy for defenders.”

While the Manchester City man has been firing at all cylinders, Ronaldo has witnessed a steep decline this season, netting just twice in all competitions.

The 37-year-old has seen a reduced role under new manager Erik ten Hag, but brought up his 700th club goal by scoring against Everton last weekend.

Age has caught up with him, and his 24-goal salvo from last season is already looking like a distant memory.

Although Ronaldo's feats won't be matched anytime soon, Haaland is the new goalscoring talisman now. On current evidence, he looks set to bag hundreds more in the future.

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Erling Haaland making an early case for next year's Ballon d'Or

The former Dortmund striker is breathing fire at the moment and, with his blistering goalscoring exploits, is already making a case for next year's Ballon d'Or.

Since breaking out with Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, the Norwegian has been touted to win the Golden Ball someday, but it could be as early as 2023.

He's already bagged 20 goals in all competitions with Manchester City and the season is not even halfway through!

Given his current average, Haaland might as well hit the half-century mark in all competitions, while also breaking the 32-goal record in the Premier League.

Winning a few titles with Manchester City will further bolster his Ballon d'Or chances.