Barcelona new boy Ilkay Gundogan thinks that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the only comparisons for his former Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland.
Haaland was a crucial part of the City team that won the European treble during the 2022–23 season. He scored 52 goals across competitions.
Speaking about his former teammate, Gundogan recently said (via the Hindustan Times):
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when he came here. You see the goals and all the attention that he was getting at Dortmund, and you wonder if he’s going to fit with the group.”
He added:
“But when I got to know him, I was so surprised how someone could be that talented and still have the will to be even better every single day. He’s never satisfied. I feel like there are no limits for him. Messi and Ronaldo are the only comparison for the level he could reach.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated European football for more than 15 years. However, neither player is on the continent anymore.
While Ronaldo is in Asia with Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, Messi recently announced his decision to join MLS club Inter Miami as a free agent.
Lionel Messi was asked about breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record in Europe’s top five leagues
Before his Paris Saint-Germain exit, Lionel Messi became the player with the most goals in Europe’s top five leagues. He scored 496 league goals for Barcelona and PSG.
He surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally, which stands at 495. The Argentine was quizzed about what it meant for him to break Ronaldo’s record.
Messi replied, telling beIN Sport:
“No, just a little bit. As I said before, at this stage of my career, I don’t focus on that anymore. I focus on what I was able to achieve with Argentina and the club level where I was lucky enough to win important titles like the UCL or Club World Cup, leagues, cups.”
He added:
“I was lucky enough to win everything, and that’s really what will remain at the end of my career. Of course, you have the goals and records, but, I think, they are secondary apart from the fact that they are nice recognitions.”
Lionel Messi scored 474 goals in La Liga with Barcelona and 22 goals in Ligue 1 with PSG.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, scored 311 La Liga goals with Real Madrid, 103 Premier League goals with Manchester United, and 81 Serie A goals with Juventus.
Edited by: Yasho Amonkar
