Being the household name that he is, Erling Haaland manages to divide opinion despite being one of the most feared goalscorers in the world.
One school of thought is that the 25-year-old is an extraordinary player, with Jamie Carragher claiming Haaland is an outstanding striker.
However, others are not as complimentary towards the Manchester City phenom.
Roy Keane slated Haaland’s all-round game by likening it to that of a League Two player; a claim which highlights how polarising he can be.
Erling Haaland looking on before Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Michael Owen makes claim about Erling Haaland’s lack of touches in games
However, Erling Haaland does not seem to let all the discourse surrounding him affect his performances on the pitch.
The Norwegian’s seeming singlemindedness towards becoming a world-class player is perhaps why he defied all expectations since his move to the Etihad Stadium in 2022.
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Haaland’s lack of touches are often discussed as an example of how scrutinised he is and Michael Owen believes that fixating on this aspect of the star striker’s game is futile because his job is to score goals.
Owen told Rio Ferdinand: Presents’ YouTube channel: “Like Haaland, he’s just a goal machine, isn’t he? I think his game is pretty okay, I don’t think it’s great, his game, his hold-up play, his touch. And I counter that with saying it’s bloody hard to play for Man City in that position because everyone sits back, everyone puts numbers behind the ball centrally.”
“All this rubbish, ‘Oh, he doesn’t touch the ball but he scores all these goals.’ That’s his job and it’s impossible to touch the ball as a centre-forward for Manchester City. Everyone just floods the edge of the box, sits deep and don’t give you any space. But he’s lethal in front of goal and he’s got attributes that you can’t teach, you can’t buy and he’s obviously great.”
Michael Owen’s goal record compared to Erling Haaland
Being a centre-forward himself, Michael Owen perhaps empathises with Haaland as a number nine’s primary role is to put the ball in the back of the net.
However, for ex-players who played in different positions on the pitch, they perhaps find it more difficult than the former Liverpool marksman to grasp that being a part of his game.
Much like Haaland, Michael Owen was a lethal goalscorer.
STATS MICHAEL OWEN ERLING HAALAND
GAMES 571 374
GOALS 262 304
However, the two-time Premier League winner has managed to score 32 more goal than Owen despite playing in 197 fewer games.
The numbers show that Haaland has operated at incredible standards for years and as long as he continues to keep elevating his game, history will be kind to the decorated frontman.