- Monday, May 8, 2023 05:15 (GMT+7)
- 4 hours ago
Erling Haaland doesn't need to be selfish like Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappe to enter the legendary temple of world football.
Pep Guardiola was furious with Haaland for arbitrarily giving Ilkay Gundogan the right to take a penalty in Man City's 2-1 win over Leeds United on May 6. The Spanish strategist was annoyed because Gundogan then missed the penalty. "The match was not over at 2-0. Haaland letting Gundogan take the penalty shows how kind and generous he is. But if Man City were leading 4-0 and there were 10 minutes left, it would be okay. But here, the score is only 2-0. Haaland is the best penalty taker in the team at the moment so he has to take it," Pep said after the match.
From Pep's pragmatic perspective, Man City's best penalty taker is Haaland who must take it. The Man City coach puts the interests of the team first. However, Haaland giving the penalty to his teammate also creates another positive effect for the Man City team.
The type of player Man City need
Some people think that to become great, Haaland must learn to be selfish like Ronaldo, Mbappe or many other famous players. Selfishness here means taking penalty kicks anytime, anywhere to improve the record. In the past, people have witnessed Ronaldo or Mbappe doing so many times. Many people explain that it is this selfishness that helps Ronaldo become the world's top superstar. But it is also necessary to remember that CR7's opponent, Lionel Messi, has followed a different path and is equally excellent.
 |
Haaland made a nice gesture by letting Gundogan take the penalty. Photo: Reuters. |
When Messi arrived at PSG, he did not need to compete with anyone for a shirt number. Even when Neymar proactively gave his favorite number 10 shirt to Leo, the Argentine player refused. Messi also did not accept the number 19 shirt that belonged to another player but chose number 30 to avoid controversy. That speaks to the character throughout the career of the player born in 1987. He does not need to show off or compete with anyone to show his talent.
Messi giving up penalties when his teammates need them has become a common practice for Barca and PSG in recent years. Gundogan has never scored a hat-trick in his career and the Turkish midfielder would have been prepared to take the ball home if he had completed the penalty against Leeds.
For a midfielder like Gundogan, it is not easy to score a hat-trick in his career. Haaland has a reason to give up the penalty to his teammates, regardless of his chance to improve his scoring record this season. Regarding the regulations at Man City, no one can compete with the Norwegian striker for the right to take the penalty. Pep pointed that out: "Next time, I can tell everyone 100% that Haaland will take the penalty."
Haaland has behaved beautifully and his concessions should not be underestimated. The striker born in 2000 is facing a historic season. The Norwegian star has scored 35 goals in the Premier League and has a total of 51 goals in all competitions. Every additional goal Haaland scores from now until the end of the season will increase his chances of winning individual titles. Especially in the race for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, when Haaland has many opportunities to surpass Messi.
Haaland will earn £1m if he wins the Ballon d'Or, and will also receive a number of bonuses based on each milestone goal he scores under the contract he signed with Man City last summer. Haaland is also expected to receive up to £5m in bonuses if he wins other individual awards such as the League or English Football Player of the Year.
Pep couldn't be happier
However, Haaland doesn't seem to care much about that. He is living a happy life in the Man City team. Everyone at Man City really loves the Norwegian striker. Just look at the way Bernardo Silva smiled happily in the Man City dressing room when he heard Haaland's speech on the occasion of breaking the single-season scoring record in the Premier League.
 |
The Norwegian striker quickly integrated into the Man City dressing room thanks to his friendliness. Photo: Reuters. |
Jack Grealish was so excited that he declared that he was ready to pass the ball to his teammate to score. "Haaland advised me to go out and have less fun and focus on recovering after each match," Grealish revealed. "But I told him that I like to have fun."
If Pep heard those words, he couldn't be happier. Right from the beginning of the season, when Haaland first arrived, the Man City captain emphasized the cuteness in the club's new recruit's personality. "He is not only hard-working and talented, but also good-natured and integrates well with the team atmosphere," Pep said in August 2022.
Throughout his coaching career, Pep has always placed great importance on the team spirit and has been willing to punish stars who could cause internal turmoil. Joao Cancelo is the latest example of Pep’s harshness. Therefore, the former Barca coach could not be happier with the character Haaland has shown since the beginning of the season.
Pep is often criticized for not being good at dealing with stars with strong personalities. And perhaps that is also the reason why Man City did not recruit Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2021. The Etihad team is doing very well with a sociable and friendly player like Haaland. Putting Ronaldo or Mbappe in a similar position to Haaland at the Etihad, Man City is not necessarily as stable as it is now.
In fact, Haaland's humility only makes his Man City teammates want to give him more opportunities to make history. Football is a team sport after all, and all success stems from that.
Books to read about the Champions League
The Sports section introduces readers to books to learn more about the birth, competitiveness and how the Champions League has grown to become the most prestigious tournament in Europe.
Tuong Linh
Erling Haaland Manchester City FC Cristiano Ronaldo Barca Kylian Mbappe Premier League Erling Haaland Cristiano Ronaldo Kylian Mbappe Messi
You may be interested in
Source link
Comment (0)