"He’s far away from those two" - Gerard Pique explains what Erling Haaland has to do to reach the levels of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has highlighted what Erling Haaland must do to reach the levels of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Spaniard explained that the Manchester City striker needs to win titles for 15-20 years to be at the same level as the iconic duo.
Haaland has been making waves since last season when he led Manchester City to claim a historic treble. He ended the campaign with a whopping 52 goals and nine assists in 53 appearances across all competitions, outscoring everyone in Europe.
Thanks to those numbers and achievements, the Norwegian was able to outshine Cristiano Ronaldo and go head-to-head with Lionel Messi in the race for the Ballon d'Or and the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award.
Since then, he's shown no signs of slowing down and has continued to earn comparisons with the two icons, thanks to his incredible proficiency in front of goal.
However, when asked about the subject, Gerard Pique quickly shunned those comparisons. The Barcelona legend explained that even though the Norwegian is a big talent, he still has a long way to go reach the levels of Messi and Ronaldo.
“I think he has a lot of potential but to arrive at the level of Messi and Cristiano, it’s a long way to go," the Spaniard told talkSPORT. "He has to win so many titles, he has to do this for 15, 17, 20 years and this is not easy also. He’s very young, very promising and he has a lot of potential but still I think he’s far away from those two.”
Gerard Pique definitely knows what he's talking about. The Spaniard shared the pitch with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for several years and got the opportunity to witness their greatness up close.
How Erling Haaland compares to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo this season
It's been another commendable outing for the two GOATs so far this season. Lionel Messi has bagged five goals and two assists for Inter Miami in five games in the new season while Cristiano Ronaldo has recorded 30 goals and 11 assists to his name in 33 appearances for Al Nassr so far.
Erling Haaland, on the other hand, has notched up 29 goals and six assists for Manchester City in 34 appearances across all competitions this term. He currently leads the goalscoring chart in the Premier League with 18 strikes and is joint top scorer in the Champions League with six goals.
While the Norwegian still has a long way to go, no one can deny that he's got the potential to reach the levels of the duo or at least get close. Only time will tell how far he'll go in his career.