Joleon Lescott has now claimed that only Manchester City No.9 Erling Haaland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are capable of one thing in football.
The 41-year-old made the comments when speaking on BBC Radio Manchester’s We’re Not Really Here podcast.
So, what did Joleon Lescott say about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Erling Haaland? Let’s take a look…
What Lescott said about Haaland and Ibrahimovic
Well, the man who made 160 appearances for Manchester City believes the Scandinavian duo are the only footballers in history who can acrobatically reach passes, which are either too high or too far for mere mortals.
When discussing how Haaland has unlocked a new level of passing for Kevin De Bruyne, Lescott said: “He (De Bruyne) puts the ball where someone should be and if someone is there you will score. We’ve seen that multiple times. I think there’s been a different element to it since Haaland has come because he can put the ball where only he can reach.
“There have been a few passes where there’s probably only him (Haaland) and Zlatan in the history of the game who could reach it.”
The Norway international’s outrageous finish in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage win over Borussia Dortmund last season springs to mind as one example.
You may recall Haaland scored a quite stunning karate kick style volley to secure a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in Group G at the Etihad Stadium, when it initially looked like Joao Cancelo had overhit his cross.
Lescott is right about Manchester City No.9 and Zlatan
Ibrahimovic – who has previously praised Haaland – and the Norwegian are known as unicorns in football, a term used to describe incredibly rare players.
Both have no right to possess such immense athleticism and acrobatic ability given their height, so perhaps Lescott is right.
After all, we certainly can’t think of any other rare footballers like Ibrahimovic and Haaland, so fans should enjoy the Leeds-born striker while they can, with the Swede already retired.
We may never see another striker like Haaland or Ibrahimovic again – as sad as that sounds.
