'Machine' - Man City boss Pep Guardiola sets Erling Haaland challenge with Cristiano Ronaldo comparison

Pep Guardiola believes that Erling Haaland is on the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were.

Haaland, 22, scored his 43rd and 44th goals of his debut campaign in English football to help Manchester City to a 4-1 win over Southampton on his return from injury. After heading home a Kevin De Bruyne cross, Haaland acrobatically volleyed in a Jack Grealish ball to continue his incredible season.

Guardiola knows Messi better than most and has also competed up against Cristiano Ronaldo at his peak in the terrific contests with Real Madrid while he was Barcelona manager. And while Guardiola will always favour Messi as a player and made a difference between one year and two decades, he cannot deny that Haaland's numbers are up there with the greatest who have ever played the sport.

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"If you see how many games Erling has played in a professional career and compare the goals in the same amount of games, Cristiano Ronaldo is on a par in that top level," he said. "It's quite similar in terms of Cristiano.

"I think Messi is a better, complete player. He can play wherever.

"Cristiano and Erling are machines but that the other two guys dominated during two decades - not just one or two years - scoring and winning titles and doing absolutely everything. Erling is just 22 years old arriving in the toughest league in the world - I can talk because I've been in other leagues - and doing what he has done is quite remarkable."

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