Manchester City have been one of the most successful teams domestically and in Europe over the past few years.
In addition to winning six Premier League trophies over the past seven years, Pep Guardiola’s side have also won three major European titles since 2023.
This highlights how strong their squad is and how much quality they have in it.
In fact, one particular figure in the City squad has recently found himself being likened to two of the greatest players of all time in terms of one specific aspect of his game.
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Perry Groves compares Erling Haaland’s goalscoring numbers to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
After seeing Erling Haaland score his first Premier League goal of the new season in City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea, Perry Groves had this to say about the striker in a recent edition of Premier League All Access.
He said: “Frightening. His numbers are up there with [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. And to be fair, La Liga isn’t as competitive as the Premier League.
“I didn’t think anybody would get anywhere near a goal a game in the Premier League. I know this is like all games, but even in the Premier League, he’s virtually a goal a game.
“And I just love the fact as well that he keeps stuff in his head, because he said obviously he had the problem with Cucurella, with the song, whatever, and he brushed him off, and his finish was brilliant.
“The little dink as [Robert] Sanchez came out over him was top quality. And he said that he remembered that Sanchez pulled off a worldy from him last season, and he thought, I’ve got to get one past him.
“So he’s got all these little reference points, and I love the fact that he’s got this impish grin on him. Do you know what I mean?
“Where he knows how brilliant he is, and he’s arrogant on the pitch, but not off it. Do you know what I mean? So yeah, he’s a phenomenon.”
Haaland is on track to be a prolific as Messi and Ronaldo
With 282 senior club appearances under his belt, the 24-year-old, who Diogo Jota recently admitted he finds scary, has found the back of the net 226 times in total.
Having now made 100 appearances for City across all competitions, the Norwegian has bagged 91 goals, winning multiple trophies and individual awards in the process.
In comparison, Messi has scored 729 goals in 882 senior games, whereas Ronaldo has bagged 761 goals in 1015 matches.
So while Haaland has a long way to go before he can replicate the sort of goalscoring records Messi and Ronaldo have earned for themselves, he is certainly on the right track to do so.
