Darren Bent delivers verdict when asked if Cristiano Ronaldo will score same amount of goals as Erling Haaland if he played for Manchester City
Pundit Darren Bent has compared Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland when asked if the Portuguese legend would score a similar number of goals for Manchester City. Bent delivered his verdict, following Ronaldo's record-breaking 900th career goal in Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on September 5.
It was a moment of glory for the Portugal striker and captain, who became the first male player to reach 900 professional career goals for club and country. This is certainly a far cry from Erling Haaland, who has only scored 263 career goals so far. However, the 24-year-old striker is easily one of the most potent goalscorers in the world, and his move to Manchester City has not dulled his attacking threat.
In 102 games for the Cityzens, Haaland has scored 97 goals, which has led Darren Bent to compare the Norwegian sharpshooter to Cristiano Ronaldo. He claimed that the Portuguese legend would hit the same heights in the Manchester City squad as Haaland has. Bent said on talkSPORT (via ManchesterCityNews):
“I think he’d score goals because that team there [create chances]. A lot of people made a lot of fuss about Haaland’s touches, but all he’s got to do is finish off the chances they create. If that’s Ronaldo, you give him the same opportunities, he’s scoring the exact same goals.”
Ronaldo was interestingly linked with a move to Manchester City in 2021 after he left Juventus but he returned to Manchester United instead.
Ronaldo is now in the final years of his career, with the legendary forward turning 40 in February next year. It is uncertain if Haaland can reach the same 900-goal mark, but he would need to be consistent for the next decade to get close.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola compares Erling Haaland to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Erling Haaland has gotten near the 100-goal mark for Manchester City, and he has already racked up eight Premier League hat-tricks. Those hat-tricks came in only 69 games, while it took players like Thierry Henry 258 league games to reach eight hat-tricks.
For two seasons in a row, Haaland has been the top goalscorer in the league. He even broke the record for most Premier League goals in a season, scoring 36 in his debut campaign (2022-23). It is no surprise that his manager Pep Guardiola is inclined to compare him to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Guardiola said (via Mirror):
“These are the numbers of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They controlled the last decade and 15 years [in terms of] absolutely everything. In terms of numbers, it is that level. I don’t know how he does it.”
When the international break ends, Manchester City will face Brentford at home on September 14, and they will hope to have Erling Haaland fit and firing.