Erling Haaland reveals he doesn't want to be compared to Messi or Ronaldo - for one reason

The in-form Manchester City star continues to break records, for club and country, but also he's explained why he doesn't want comparisons to two of football's greatest players.

Erling Haaland has admitted that he will not come close to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's records, urging people to stop comparing him to them. The 25-year-old Manchester City striker already scored 19 goals in just 16 appearances so far this campaign.

In the Premier League, Haaland has scored against every team except Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United. For his country, the striker has led Norway to their first World Cup since 1998 - scoring 16 goals in eight World Cup qualifiers.

He's making goal-scoring look effortless this season, and it's difficult to imagine any defence keeping him quiet. There aren't many Premier League records that Haaland doesn't already hold.

Since his £51million move to the Etihad, Haaland has scored 94 goals in 104 games in the competition. His 36-goal haul in 2022/23 was a record and, if he continues at the same rate, Haaland will eclipse Alan Shearer's competition record of 260 goals within the next five or six seasons.

However, he has dismissed comparisons with two of the greatest current footballers.

"I think, with Messi and Ronaldo, I think they should be in their own category, with all they've been doing 15 years at the highest level," he said on Sky Sports' Premier League YouTube channel.

"I think that no one comes close to this, what they've been doing, competing against each other, the goals they scored, the titles they won, the records they've been breaking, both of them.

"That's why I don't want to get compared with them."

Haaland went on: "I don't want to look at them, look at what they've been doing. It's if you start to compare with them, it's it's not fun for us. It's too difficult, you know.

"That's just how it is. So, let me be in the background and not too much focus on me would be better."

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