Alan Shearer has named Manchester City striker Erling Haaland as the best player of 2023.
The centre-forward had a very successful debut season with the Citizens as he ended up lifting the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League as well as breaking numerous goalscoring records along the way.
With the 23-year-old now on the hunt to help his side regain those titles this time around, Haaland has found himself on the end of some big praise from one pundit and former top-flight figure who knows exactly what it takes to be a top goalscorer.
Shearer names Haaland as 2023’s best player
Speaking in a recent episode of The Rest Is Football, Shearer had this to say when asked who he feels the best player of 2023 was.
He said: “Erling Haaland, without a shadow of a doubt. The goals, the trophies, his stature, all of those things, it has to be him.”
Last season saw the Norway international score 52 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions, which highlights how significant he was throughout what turned out to be a seismic season for the Blues.
After his impressive first season at City, the Norwegian came second in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings, losing out to Lionel Messi, which shows how much of a prolific player he was last year.
With all of that in mind, it’s no surprise that Shearer has named the City star as the best player of 2023.
Even though he’s been out for the past few weeks through injury, Haaland has already proved that he isn’t a one-season-wonder by finding the back of the net 19 times in 22 appearances across all competitions.
Moving forward, if the striker can avoid any more injuries throughout the remainder of the season and keep scoring goals on a consistent basis, he’ll give his side a great chance of winning more silverware.
