Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, called Lionel Messi the best footballer of all time. He edged out Cristiano Ronaldo, who is often compared to Lionel Messi.
Haaland expressed this some time ago after Man City defeated FC Copenhagen in the 2023-2024 Champions League match. The Norwegian striker said Messi had to retire first if other players wanted to be named the best footballer at the moment.
“He (Messi) is the best footballer of all time. Maybe he should retire first if other players want to be called the best players,” said Haaland as quoted by Tuttomercato, Saturday (9/3/2024).
What Haaland said was quite interesting because he had competed with Messi in the race for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Moreover, it was previously known that the 23-year-old footballer actually idolized Messi’s rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a role model for me. He is the best player. He is someone who would say, ‘Today I will score goals and win,’ and he really did that,” said Haaland when he was still in the Borussia Dortmund uniform.
Haaland had to let the 2023 Ballon d’Or go to Messi because he received fewer votes than the Argentinian. In fact, the bomber from Norway was once the favorite to win the prestigious individual title.
The reason is, Haaland successfully helped his club, Manchester City, achieve the treble in the 2022-2023 season by winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. Not only that, Haaland also recorded 54 goals in 56 matches in all competitions.
At club level, Messi is not as flashy as Haaland in the 2022-2023 season. However, the Barcelona legend succeeded in bringing Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup while becoming the best player, MVP in the final match, and also recorded seven goals and three assists throughout the tournament.
