Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has shut down any imagination that he is as good as, or better than, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two of the greatest players to grace the game, ahead of his return to face Borussia Dortmund.
City will host Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as Haaland, who is in arguably the best form of his life, will be looking to add to his 26 goals in all competitions for club and country.
The Norwegian scored in 12 consecutive games before firing blank against Aston Villa in City’s third defeat this season; he continued his scoring run with a brace against Bournemouth on Sunday.
“No, not at all, far off,” Haaland said when asked about the comparisons. “No one can get close to them two, so no.
“I’m a Norwegian guy, and for me I should not think I am something just because I’m scoring goals. Simple as that. I’m just Erling and this is something that will never change.”
'VAR has helped me', says Haaland
Haaland’s talent and goalscoring isn’t just a result of his unplayable finishing, but rather the way he determines certain runs and his ability to find space on the pitch.
An impressive attribute too is that he is rarely ever offside, as he explained on Tuesday that he doesn’t like to be in an illegal position — VAR also helped him too, he says.
"It's not the first season I'm never offside, come on," he said. "I think from when I came to City I've been offside 18 times. So 18 times in three-and-a-half years is OK I think. It's a thing that is quiet in my game, I hate to be offside.
"If you're offside now with VAR, no chance, and I think VAR has helped me even more because you get the decision, simple as that. And when you barely go offside it's a good chance that if there's an offside situation, most likely I will not be offside.
"It's something I've been working on since I was 13 years-old in Bryne, and I'm still playing the same kind of way. Just now I'm quicker, better, faster, and play for City instead of Bryne.”