Lars Lagerbäck is a great admirer of Erling Braut Haaland. The Swedish manager briefly had the star of Manchester City under his wing as Norway manager and believes Haaland could establish himself in the ranks of the most legendary players. “We are starting to talk about the level of Pele, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo if he continues like this,” Lagerbäck told the Swedish newspaper. Dagens Nyheter.
The meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal on Wednesday evening can be decisive in the battle for the title in the Premier League. At the same time, it is the confrontation between the biggest stars that Norwegian football has ever produced. Haaland is on his way to a Premier League goalscoring record in his first year at Manchester, while Martin Ödegaard captains Arsenal’s best-performing team since winning the title in 2004. Lägerback was Norway’s national team manager between 2017 and 2020 and worked with both stars.
22-year-old Haaland already has 32 league goals this season and needs two more goals to equal the season record set by Andy Cole (34 in 1993/94 for Newcastle United) and Alan Shearer (also 34 in 1994/95 for Blackburn Rovers) . “I don’t know if there is anyone who had already achieved as much as Erling at that age,” says Lagerbäck. “We are starting to talk about the level of Pele, Messi and Ronaldo if he continues like this.” Haaland has 183 goals in 225 official club matches. He has already scored 21 goals in 23 appearances for Norway.
Haaland fully meets the high expectations in Manchester in his first year. “I thought he would succeed at City, but not that he would score so many goals,” says Lagerbäck, who is confident in the future of the top striker. “Besides a fantastic physique at the core, he has tremendous drive. It shows in every action he takes.”
In addition to Haaland, Norway has another star in the Premier League with Ödegaard. The attacking midfielder became Arsenal captain and is having an unparalleled season. His statistics, twelve goals and seven assists in 31 league matches, speak for themselves. “Martin fits Mikel Arteta’s way of playing,” says Lagerbäck. “He has been good for years, but now he comes into his own in a clearly attacking role in midfield. Being captain shows his status.”