After Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over Ipswich, Guardiola lavished praise on Haaland, who scored a hat-trick, comparing him to Messi and Ronaldo. This statement ignited global public opinion, with many fans of Messi and Ronaldo ridiculing Haaland as being “a different class” and “not as good as Messi and Ronaldo.” However, data agencies pointed out that Guardiola’s remarks are indeed supported by facts.
Guardiola’s exact words were: “From Salzburg to the Bundesliga and then to the Premier League, Haaland’s goal-scoring numbers are unbelievable. It’s an incredible force. I believe he can challenge various goal-scoring records set by Ronaldo and Messi.”
The 24-year-old Haaland has participated in 315 games and scored 260 goals—this statistic does not include his non-senior team matches where he also racked up impressive numbers (such as at various levels of Norway’s youth national teams), which is relatively rigorous. Specifically, he scored 29 goals in 27 matches at Salzburg, 20 goals in 50 matches for Molde in Norway, 86 goals in 89 matches in the Bundesliga for Dortmund, 94 goals in 101 matches for Manchester City, and 31 goals in 33 matches for the Norwegian national team, demonstrating a goal-scoring efficiency that surpasses that of Messi and Ronaldo at the same stage in their careers.
At the same age, Messi had scored 197 goals in 326 matches, while Ronaldo had scored 132 goals in 362 matches. In comparison, Haaland’s goal-scoring prowess is truly remarkable.