The Premier League has seen some top strikers play in it over the past 30 years.
Manchester City currently have one of those strikers in the form of Erling Haaland.
Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium back in 2022, the 24-year-old has found the back of the net 74 times in 75 top-flight matches.
With two consecutive Golden Boots under his belt from two completed title-winning campaigns, the prolific City star has found himself being mentioned in comparison with another one of the Premier League’s greatest strikers.
Ally McCoist picks between Erling Haaland and Thierry Henry
When asked on talkSPORT (29/10 9:57 AM) who he’d rather have in his dream team out of Haaland and a prime Thierry Henry, Ally McCoist gave this response.
He said: “Prime Henry. And I’ve said that without even thinking about it.
“I love Haaland, as you know, in terms of putting the ball in the back of the net at this moment in time there’s absolutely nobody better. But Henry had everything. Everything, you name it, he had it.
“He had vision, he could finish [with] either foot, head, blistering pace, he had an awareness of the game.
“Henry could play in a number of positions. I know where his best position is but he was such a talented and excellent player he could have played in two or three positions for you.
“It’s not a criticism but he’s got far more to his game than Haaland. Haaland is the best in the business at what he does and that’s putting the ball in the back of the net. But Henry had so much more.”
What has Henry said about Haaland?
This isn’t the first time the Norway international has been spoken about alongside a former top-flight legend, as Darren Bent claimed that Haaland could break Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goals record.
In addition to that, Ian Wright claimed Haaland could become the first player to score six goals in one Premier League game due to his prowess in front of goal.
Throughout his playing career, Henry scored 360 goals and delivered 173 assists in 794 club appearances.
In comparison, Haaland has bagged 239 goals in 293 senior club games, 104 of which have come across the 111 matches he’s appeared in for City.
However, as McCoist mentioned, the Frenchman showed his versatility by playing in multiple attacking positions during his career, whereas Haaland has only ever played in the centre-forward role.
The former Arsenal star has not been shy when it comes to sharing his thoughts on the Norwegian, as Henry gave this verdict about Haaland after his debut season at City.
He said: “Haaland is Haaland, he said it himself. I don’t know if you saw it we did something with CBS where I talked to him and at the end he said his game changed at one point.
“He holds the ball a bit better but mainly he’s a box player. So you’re not going to ask him to go on the left or the right but I myself thought at the beginning of the season that he could do more and he did towards the end.
“I’m not talking about his goals and by the way, have a look, he didn’t score against Real Madrid, he didn’t score against Inter Milan, he didn’t score the other day against Sevilla, he didn’t score in the final of the [FA] Cup, but he played well, held up, assist, put people through.
“Now you see how he comes in midfield and play, the 10 can make a run. Those are the things that people don’t notice, I value that too.
“Now go and score your 60 plus goals that he will score because that will come naturally, especially if you play for City by the way and him it’s a lethal combo, they create, he kills.
“Now to win trebles and to win titles, you have to give us a bit more off the ball also, and that’s what he did. And people did not notice that, he didn’t score in those games but he played very well. Pressing was on point, holding the ball was on point, linking the game was on point.”
While both are undeniably two of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen, it could be said by some that Haaland hasn’t been deployed in other positions to show his versatility because he’s too good at scoring goals from his usual role.
