Pundit says Man City have an ‘electric’ player who now has a Lionel Messi-like impact for Pep Guardiola

Manchester City News
By Srinivas Sadhanand
Published on 2024-09-09 12:30:00

Pep Guardiola has consistently hailed Lionel Messi as the best player he has ever managed, revealing his admiration for the Argentine superstar in a recent interview. Despite not reuniting at Manchester City, Guardiola and Messi had a close relationship during their time at Barcelona, where Messi won his first Ballon d’Or. Recently, Guardiola compared Erling Haaland to Messi, emphasizing the Norwegian’s prolific goalscoring abilities and game-changing impact on City’s performances. Gabby Agbonlahor also highlighted Haaland’s similarities to Messi in terms of their ability to score crucial goals that turn the game around, even if they are not heavily involved in the build-up play.

The comparison between Messi and Haaland lies in their capacity to be match-winners with the ability to change the course of a game with a moment of brilliance. Both players have shown that they can have a minimal impact on a match until they find their rhythm and then proceed to lead their team to victory with their goals. Despite criticisms about Haaland’s involvement in build-up play, Agbonlahor argues that his goal-scoring prowess makes him a valuable asset to Manchester City, much like Messi’s game-changing abilities were at Barcelona. Both players have the potential to influence crucial moments in a game and contribute significantly to their team’s success.

Read Full article on Manchester City News