Witnessing Arsenal beat Real Madrid 2-1 and qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League, Erling Haaland would have missed playing in Europe’s elite competition.
However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side knocked Manchester City out two rounds earlier but went on to exit the competition at the same stage as the Sky Blues last season: the quarter-finals.
Being the competitor he is, Erling Haaland will be hoping that City can qualify for the Champions League in the following campaign as he would have his sights on winning the coveted trophy once again after doing so in 2023.
But for the time being, Haaland may well have felt a sense of satisfaction about Arsenal’s triumph against Kylian Mbappe and Co as Real Madrid were eliminated out of the quarter-finals as they lost 5-1 on aggregate.
Kylian Mbappe not winning the treble after Real Madrid vs Arsenal should delight Erling Haaland
The reason is that Haaland, who must hold Mbappe in high esteem should be delighted about the fact that Real Madrid’s exit out of the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal shows how difficult it is to win the treble in one’s debut season.
At Manchester City, Haaland delivered and led his side to winning the treble; something which is impossible for Mbappe to promise anymore at Real Madrid as aside from Arsenal, the in-form Barcelona could end their hopes of winning both La Liga and the Copa Del Rey as the eternal rivals meet in the final.
Despite setting the all-time Premier League goalscoring record (36 goals) and going on to make history alongside Pep Guardiola, the Norwegian was slated throughout the campaign — with Didi Hamann famously claiming on talkSPORT that the Leeds-born striker has singlehandedly make City a worse team.
Even last season, Ally McCoist described Haaland as “bang average” while reviewing his all-round game — which sums up how much stick he gets.
Yet, Mbappe, who many feel is better than Haaland has not spearheaded Real Madrid on their way to win a treble, despite being fancied by the majority of fans and pundits alike to beat Real Madrid.
The Frenchman is a phenom and the former Borussia Dortmund goalscorer should not take any joy in his setback but rather be all smiles due to how easy it was for some to downplay him and his eventual feat.
Thierry Henry has egg on his face after his Erling Haaland vs Kylian Mbappe take
Thierry Henry opted for Mbappe over Haaland when asked to choose the better striker out of the two in February this year as his view was the former’s threat was far more difficult to curb.
“Mbappe all day. I tell you why, because he does offer different options for a coach. He can play on the right, he can play on the left, he can play in the middle. Can Haaland play any other position that playing as a nine?”
“Let me ask you a question, who would you prefer to mark?”
Comparing both players’ respective debut seasons at Manchester City and Real Madrid at the same point, it’s safe to say that Haaland has proven Thierry Henry wrong by outclassing Mbappe as a striker.
| STATS | ERLING HAALAND: ’22/23 SEASON | KYLIAN MBAPPE: THIS SEASON |
| APPEARANCES | 53 | 49 |
| GOALS | 52 | 32 |
| ASSISTS | 9 | 4 |
Mbappe has scored 20 less goals than Haaland and registered five less assists despite making just four less appearances.
Even if the former Paris Saint-Germain forward ends up winning La Liga and the Copa Del Rey this campaign, he will not be able to match the 24-year-old in terms of leading Real Madrid to a treble.
Unlike the Manchester City number nine, who joined a City side who were perennial failures in Europe, the World Cup winner signed for the defending champions who are the protagonists of the competition.
Yet, Haaland has both collectively and individually outdone Mbappe and apologies should be in order for the two-time Premier League winner.
