Manchester City: Pep Guardiola sees Lionel Messi in Erling Haaland

02.11.25 FT English Premier League

Manchester City

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Bournemouth

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This Sunday against Bournemouth in the Premier League, Erling Haaland once again delivered a brace. Pep Guardiola is astounded and sees shades of Lionel Messi in the Norwegian striker.

Erling Haaland made another powerful statement for Manchester City against Bournemouth (3-1) yesterday in the Premier League. For Pep Guardiola, the Norwegian international is playing at a level worthy of none other than Lionel Messi, the FC Barcelona legend.

"With Erling, it’s like when you play with Messi or Ronaldo—he has that kind of influence. Have you seen his stats? Of course he’s at that level. The difference is that Messi and Ronaldo have maintained this level for 15 years. But this is his level. He has that hunger. It’s fantastic. I’ve often said how easy he is to coach and manage. Sometimes I’m tough on him, but he’s open-minded. He lives for goals, and sometimes the pressure is too intense to last the full 90 minutes, but that’s normal," said the Spaniard to the press.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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