Joleon Lescott identifies key area in which Erling Haaland is better than Lionel Messi
Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott recently identified one key area in which Erling Haaland is better than Lionel Messi.
The Norwegian has gotten off to a stunning start to his career in England. In 12 games, he has scored 19 goals and provided three assists across all competitions.
The towering centre-forward scored a brace yet again in Manchester City's 5-0 win against FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. He was taken off at half-time by Pep Guardiola.
Speaking to BT Sport, Lescott said that the Spanish manager hadn't previously worked with someone as instinctive as Haaland. Here's what the former defender said (via manchestereveningnews.co.uk):
"There have been comparisons to Messi and obviously there is a lot of difference to their styles. But I don’t think Pep will have worked with anyone as instinctive as Haaland before."
Haaland took just 11 touches of the ball during his appearance against Copenhagen. Yet, he managed to score a brace. His sense of positioning is something to be admired. That aspect was on full display when the former Borussia Dortmund forward scored a hat-trick against Manchester United on October 2.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, also found the back of the net as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) managed to earn a 1-1 away draw against Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Argentine scored a spectacular curling effort after linking up with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Christophe Galtier's side now have seven points from their first three Champions League games of the season. They defeated Juventus and Maccabi Haifa in their first two games.
Lionel Messi revealed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be his last
Lionel Messi recently made a saddening revelation as he said that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be his last. Here's what he said to Sebastian Vignolo:
“This will be my last World Cup — for sure. The decision has been made."
#Argentina
Leo Messi announces: “This will be my last World Cup — for sure. The decision has been made”, tells @PolloVignolo. 🚨🇦🇷 #Argentina
Important to clarify again that Messi will not decide his future between PSG and Barça now or in the next weeks; it will be in 2023. https://t.co/W54EDZIpfm
Messi recently also opined that he believes Argentina have a solid chance of lifting the trophy in Qatar, as he told TyC Sport:
“Argentina can compete with anyone. I am not saying that we are the big favourite to lift the World Cup, but we are ready. The memory of the Copa America is beautiful after so much suffering, but now there is another challenge on the horizon.
"I feel comfortable when we get together with the national team, everything flows. We all know what our role is and what we have to do."