Pep Guardiola explains major difference between Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has explained the big difference between Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.

Haaland has exceeded all expectations since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

The 22-year-old has scored a remarkable 33 goals in 33 games for the reigning Premier League champions. The Norwegian took his tally to 27 goals in 24 league appearances with a first-half goal in City’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday evening.

We’re not even in March yet and Haaland has already broken the record for most goals scored in a single Premier League season by a Man City player.

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Sergio Aguero was the previous record holder with 26 goals in a campaign.

Haaland is arguably the best centre-forward in world football right now and could easily end the season with 50 goals in all competitions.

But how does he compare to Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time?

Pep Guardiola: The difference between Haaland and Messi

Guardiola famously worked alongside the legendary Argentine forward for four unforgettable years (2008-2012) at Barcelona.

The revered Catalan coach has always spoken about Messi in glowing terms ever since.

During an interview with Sky Sports ahead of City’s clash against Bournemouth, Guardiola explained the big difference between the two world-class stars.

“[Haaland] needs the team to score the goals,” Guardiola said. “He’s not like Messi, like he can go and get the ball, dribble past three or four [players]. He can decide the game for himself.

“Erling needs the team. It’s not all about him. We have to find, I have to find, the way, to the players, ‘guys, in this type of situations, he’s there’.”

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Once again, Guardiola has reiterated his belief that there’s a fundamental difference between Messi and all other footballers.

Even a machine like Haaland needs the help of his teammates in order to score goals.

Messi, on the other hand, has the ability to win matches single-handedly.

Is Lionel Messi still the world's best footballer?

Messi is now 35 years old but proved during the World Cup in Qatar that he’s still on a different level.

The Paris Saint-Germain ace inspired his beloved Argentina to glory, achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a world champions in the process.

Regarded as the greatest footballer of all time by many, Messi is poised to win FIFA’s The Best award on Monday and is also expected to secure a record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or award later this year.