Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke ahead of the club’s first Club World Cup match – and what he said about Erling Haaland is sure to go down very well.
The tournament has been underway for the past few days, but Manchester City have had to wait until today to play their first game, as a result of being in Group G.
The game against Wydad AC is a chance for City to get back to it and build up a bit of steam nice and early.
It will also be an opportunity for Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and possibly Marcus Bettinelli to get their first minutes as new City players.
Ahead of the game, Pep Guardiola spoke to the media.
And it was there he confirmed that Bernardo Silva is the new captain of Manchester City – which is a decision he himself took, rather than letting the players choose.
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But Guardiola also made a future suggestion about Erling Haaland.
Pep Guardiola suggests Erling Haaland will be eventually Man City club captain
Erling Haaland celebrates scoring for Manchester City.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Bernardo Silva assumes the position of captain following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne.
On the face of it, it is perhaps a surprise.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola speaking at a press conference.
Photo by Emilee Chinn – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Ruben Dias and Rodri are potentially both more natural leaders, and are more vocal on the pitch.
However, Bernardo is one of City’s most experienced, dependable and professional players, and he is a good fit for the role.
But Guardiola was keen to talk about the supporting cast, and he suggested Erling Haaland will one day be captain of City.
PEP 💬 (On Erling Haaland being part of the captaincy group) First of all he’s so young but he has to learn what it means to be a captain because hopefully he’ll be here many years and sooner or later will take that position.
When you have Bernardo, Ruben, Rodri, Gundogan who… pic.twitter.com/3XHk5wDZpP
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 17, 2025
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He said: “First of all he’s so young but he has to learn what it means to be a captain because hopefully he’ll be here many years and sooner or later will take that position.
“When you have Bernardo, Ruben, Rodri, Gundogan who was an unbelievable, unbelievable captain for us, he will learn. Especially because he’s respected and an important figure.”
What Haaland has previously said about being Man City captain
These comments from the Manchester City manager will surely delight supporters, because they just further indicate that the Norwegian will be spending the bulk of his career at the Etihad Stadium.
Obviously, Haaland signed a 10-year deal at the club back in January.
But there is still always some doubt about whether he will actually stay that long.
Erling Haaland for Man City (2022-present)
Appearances – 142
Goals – 121
Assists – 20
Trophies – 7
But him becoming captain of the club would certainly make it much more likely that Haaland would see out the full 10 years of his contract.
And given how much of a goal machine he has been during his three years at the club so far, that is something City fans around the world would love to see.
Haaland, of course, has actually worn the captain’s armband a couple of times before. The first time Haaland wore the armband was in pre-season against Celtic last year, after which he said: “Honoured to captain the team for the first time.”
He was also captain for the Premier League game against Newcastle back in February. Haaland said after the match: “What a special honour to captain this team, thanks to everyone for the support!”
Clearly, the captaincy is something Haaland considers a huge privilege.