“He’s on that level” - Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland is as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola compared Erling Haaland's goalscoring ability to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His comments came after the forward scored an outstanding double in a 1-4 win against Southampton in the Premier League at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday (April 8).

Haaland broke the deadlock for the visitors on the brink of half-time, heading in a Kevin De Bruyne cross past Saints goalkeeper Bazunu. The Norwegian ace scored a sensational bicycle kick in the second half as well to give Manchester City a commanding 3-0 lead.

After Sekou Mara reduced the deficit for the Saints, Julian Alvarez scored a penalty to wrap up all three points. The win took the Cityzens to just five points from Arsenal, who are currently the Premier League leaders.

Haaland's double took his overall season tally to 44 goals in just 38 appearances in all competitions. The 22-year-old has been integral to City's campaign so far.

Guardiola spoke to the media after the win, likening Haaland to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (via NDTV Sports):

"The second goal was amazing. It is not easy to pick the ball up in the sky and put it on the grass. We need him. The first half was not our best level but he changed the game."

He added:

"As a top scorer we lived two incredible decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi but he is on that level. He scores a lot of goals. I am very happy with 65 minutes after injury and he helped us again."

Guardiola coached a young Lionel Messi at Barcelona between 2008-2012 and his side came up against Ronaldo multiple times as well. The pair have won every trophy possible at club level and have racked up 12 Ballon d'Ors between them in their careers.

While Haaland isn't as complete or accomplished as Ronaldo or Messi so far in his career, in terms of goal-scoring ability for his age, he could potentially reach their level one day.

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Comparing Erling Haaland's career statistics to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the age of 22

While there's no doubt the GOAT debate is between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, let's take a look at how they fared against Erling Haaland when both superstars were 22.

Haaland has scored a sensational 179 goals and provided 41 assists in 221 appearances in his club career. He has also netted 21 times in 23 appearances for Norway.

By the time Messi was 22, he had scored 140 goals and provided 57 assists in 262 appearances for club and country. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, at the age of 22, had scored 97 goals and provided 49 assists in 284 appearances for club and country.

The Manchester City forward is currently ahead of the two superstars for his age. However, he will need to sustain this form for over a decade to be regarded on the same level as them.