Erling Haaland says Messi and Ronaldo are “untouchable” despite record-breaking form

Erling Haaland may be scoring goals at a historic rate, but the Manchester City striker is not ready to accept comparisons with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. After his brace against Bournemouth took his tally to 17 goals in just 13 matches this season, Pep Guardiola suggested Haaland is reaching the level of football’s greatest modern legends.

Haaland, however, dismissed the idea immediately — and with humility.

“No, not at all! No one can get close to those two,” Haaland said. “I am just Erling, a Norwegian guy scoring goals. That won’t change.”

Guardiola’s comparison came from a place of admiration. The City manager — who oversaw Messi’s rise at Barcelona — said that Haaland’s impact is similar to what Messi and Ronaldo provided for their teams: a guarantee of goals.

“This is what it’s like if you play with Messi or Ronaldo,” Guardiola explained. “The influence is so big. His numbers speak for themselves. He has that hunger, that mentality.”

Haaland already holds the Premier League single-season goalscoring record with 36 goals in 2022–23. At his current scoring rate of 1.3 goals per match, he is on track to reach nearly 50 league goals — a number not seen in England since the era of Jimmy Greaves and Dixie Dean.

Across all competitions, if Haaland maintains this pace, he could exceed 60 goals this season — something Messi and Ronaldo achieved only twice in their prime years.

But the games ahead will be the real test. Manchester City now face a demanding run:

• Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League
• Liverpool in the Premier League
• Newcastle United shortly after
• Bayer Leverkusen and Leeds United to follow

If Haaland continues to score at this pace against that level of opposition, the conversation may shift — whether he likes it or not.

For now, Haaland insists he is simply himself. But the numbers suggest he may be writing a chapter that belongs alongside the greatest goalscorers of all time.