Pep Guardiola didn’t hold back his praise for Erling Haaland after Manchester City’s 3–1 win over Bournemouth last weekend in the Premier League. The manager said the forward is already “on the level of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.” The comment gained traction, mainly because it wasn’t the first time Pep had said it. Haaland himself, however, was quick to bring things back down to earth. “No way, not even close. Nobody comes near them, so no. I’m Norwegian, and for me, I shouldn’t think I’m special just because I score goals. It’s that simple. I’m just Erling, and that will never change.”
The Norwegian’s response was simple, straightforward, and, in a way, necessary. Haaland understands exactly how big Messi and Cristiano are and seems determined not to fall into the trap of rushing greatness. Guardiola, on the other hand, is driven by admiration. He looks at numbers, performance, and impact and in all of those areas, the Norwegian has delivered.
The compliment that turned into debate
When Guardiola compares Haaland to Messi and Cristiano, it stops being about stats and becomes about context. Messi was the symbol of pure talent. Cristiano Ronaldo, of obsession and discipline. Haaland represents another era, the era of precision. At 25, with 13 goals already this 2025–26 season, he keeps up an absurd scoring rate but refuses to treat that as greatness ahead of its time. That refusal is what sets him apart.
Pep sees in his forward the same ability to decide games that he saw in the two biggest names of the modern era. And he’s got a point. Haaland is lethal, always in the right place, and rarely wastes chances. But he still lacks something Guardiola himself values: the kind of presence that transcends the scoreboard. Messi and Cristiano changed the way people watched a game. Haaland, for now, defines it.
Humility as a weapon
“I’m just Erling, and that will never change.” That sentence is a response to a world trying to turn him into the next global superstar. Haaland doesn’t sound like someone avoiding comparison, just someone uninterested in the label. And maybe that’s why he feels so different, because it’s rare to see someone so successful resist the idea of being called a genius.
While Guardiola insists on putting him among the best, Haaland handles it with ease. He plays, scores, and moves on. He doesn’t need a narrative, just goals. And that attitude, paradoxically, reinforces exactly what Guardiola finds so special about him.