LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) –Former Manchester City captain Richard Dunne believes Erling Haaland’s impressive performance for the club will be overshadowed by Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or race.
Haaland, who joined Man City from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million ($63 million), was outstanding last season, scoring 52 goals across all competitions and helping his team secure a historic Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League treble.
However, Dunne thinks that despite Haaland’s incredible numbers, Lionel Messi’s experience and completeness as a footballer will likely secure him the Ballon d’Or.
Dunne commented, “From a numbers point of view, he’s been untouchable, he’s been the difference to Man City.
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“If you look back and think about what they were missing in terms of going on and winning the Champions League, it probably was the natural number nine.
“I know he didn’t score in the later stages of the competition, but he just causes trouble and forces players to mark him, they might even need two of them, he creates spaces in other areas.
“Whatever the Ballon d’Or is judged on, I obviously think Messi is the more complete footballer, he is the finished article. Haaland has things he needs to improve on, even as good as he is.
“He could still be better outside the box and getting more involved in games, but if you’re looking at out-and-out goal-scorers there is nobody in the world who can touch Haaland.”
Despite the Ballon d’Or outcome in 2023, Haaland is poised to become a global superstar.
He is expected to compete with Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe for future Ballons d’Or, potentially reviving a rivalry similar to the one between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Dunne expressed his hopes for such a rivalry, saying, “I hope we can get that rivalry again of two or three top players in the world. I think Haaland is on the road to becoming a superstar.
“Mbappe needs to settle down somewhere and find a club that suits him; the transfer rumors don’t help him.
“I think the levels he can reach are extremely high, and the speed he has is incredible, but sometimes you watch him and wonder if he’s happy or interested.
“Is it a long-term thing at PSG or does he need to move on to another club? When we work that out, I think we might start to see the best of him.”
This season, Haaland has already scored seven goals in seven appearances for Manchester City, while Mbappe has found the net seven times in just four games for PSG, despite being heavily linked with a transfer to Real Madrid during the summer.
