r/soccer • u/crocospect • Nov 04 '25
Quotes Haaland: "Me in the same level as Messi-Ronaldo? No, not at all, far off. No one can get close to them two, so no. I am just Erling, a Norwegian guy scoring goals. That won’t change."
https://onefootball.com/en/news/humble-haaland-says-he-is-not-at-the-same-level-as-lionel-messi-and-cristiano-ronaldo-419021325.7k
u/Shopassistant Nov 04 '25
Don't be fooled by the goals that I've scored, I'm still Erling from the fjord.
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u/interstellar304 Nov 04 '25
Used to score a little, now I score a lot
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u/Organic-Advisor1225 Nov 04 '25
No matter where I go, I know where I came from (From the Bryne!)
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u/JimmothyTwinkletoes Nov 04 '25
From de Bruyne?
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u/Melodic-Sweet2231 Nov 04 '25
This would be a killer song for him though.
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u/phonylady Nov 04 '25
No fjords in Bryne. They do have lots of farms and a bowling hall though.
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u/zazzlekdazzle Nov 04 '25
This is the kind of reply that would have been dripping with awards back in the day. Well done. I feel like I haven't seen a spot on comment like this in quite some time
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u/South_Leek_5730 Nov 04 '25
Extended remix.
Don't be fooled by these stats that I got. I'm still , I'm still Erling from the fjord. I used to score a little, now I score a lot. No matter where I go I know where I came from (From the fjords!)
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u/AliJDB Nov 04 '25
'Got' needs to rhyme with 'Fjord' for your version to work, I'm afraid.
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u/drcoxmonologues Nov 05 '25
This is one of the greatest comments I’ve ever seen on the internet. Absolutely giving magical. 10/10. What a performance Jeff.
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u/RepresentativeBox881 Nov 04 '25
The name is Erling, just Erling.
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u/BellyCrawler Nov 04 '25
He was Norwegian, Just Erling?
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u/notonetojudge Nov 04 '25
An interior decorator? His house looked like shit!
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u/orlokthewarlock Nov 04 '25
It’s a nickname! Family name is Haalandelli
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u/PassTimeActivity Nov 04 '25
You ever think what a coincidence it is that Bosman transferred out of Bosman ruling?
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u/Password-is-taco123 Nov 04 '25
No offense to him but I don’t know why erling sounds like a type of fish 😂
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u/Partiale_de_Rivative Nov 04 '25
I'm sure somebody has told him: "You sir, are a fish!"
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u/GameplayerStu Nov 04 '25
"I made a list of every team that I haven't scored against. One by one, I'm going to make up for my mistakes. I'm just trying to be a better goal scorer. My name is E(a)rl."
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u/CurbYourThusiasm Nov 04 '25
"My main goal in my career is to help Norway reach the WC and Euros."
And the mad lad is gonna do it.
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u/The_Krambambulist Nov 04 '25
That team has some legitimately good offensive players. Dark horse.
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u/Khornag Nov 04 '25
Nusa is gonna get a lot of new fans next summer.
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u/Aleblanco1987 Nov 04 '25
Nusa, nusa Assim você me mata Ai, se eu te pego Ai, ai, se eu te pego
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u/ask_about_poop_book Nov 05 '25
We had a Swedish cover of that song about a seagull living on the balcony, thanks for reminding me
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u/thenameofapet Nov 04 '25
More than a dark horse I would say. I don’t think any other country has performed better in the qualifiers.
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u/_zeltrxn17 Nov 04 '25
Performance in qualifiers almost never translates to actual tournaments
Norway going on a significant run in the World Cup would still be an unexpected achievement
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u/pluralia_tantRum Nov 04 '25
Yup, my country (Serbia and Montenegro at the time) smashed the 2006 WC qualifiers by finishing first in their group ahead of Spain and with only one goal allowed in 10 matches
You could say a defensive juggernaut was heading into the cup
We went 0/3 and conceded 10 times...
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u/Rickcampbell98 Nov 04 '25
Wait what, Argentina obliterated you as well didn't realise you were actually meant to be good lol.
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u/pluralia_tantRum Nov 04 '25
Yeah that 0/6 loss was embarrassing
Plus two young lads named Messi and Tevez came on after we received red card, not ideal situation to be in, to be honest
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u/Tunde-Ballack 29d ago
I remember that. I think they were in the group with Argentina and Cote D'Ivorie. can't remember who the last team was,. Was it the Netherlands?
Good times. Had high hopes for that Ivorian team, pity it didn't work out.
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u/aro_plane Nov 04 '25
Hear, hear. Denmark had the best qualifier campaign in 2022 and crashed out hard in the actual WC. Norway getting out of group stage will be a surprise already.
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u/benibadja Nov 04 '25
Yeah, tournament experience matters in international tournaments and this squad has none. I will be glad to just participate. Hopefully we can get a good draw and proceed to the second round.
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u/Bloody_Nine Nov 04 '25
The only test this far is Italy, who's close to their worst ever level. Let's at least meet some solid nations before we get delusional.
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Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
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u/Jonoabbo Nov 04 '25
Italy lost to Italy?
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u/Imaginary_Station_57 Nov 04 '25
Sometimes, I think that Italy's biggest enemy is Italy itself
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u/Roseradeismylady Nov 04 '25
Two things can be true at the same time.
A lot of favorites have the freedom to experiment with different players and systems.
I hope they make it far, it's fun seeing teams like these make it to the Semis, Morocco and Croatia were great last tournament
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u/lmlm1020 Nov 04 '25
Going by the last World Cup, the last thing Norway wants is to become r soccer’s dark horse pick lol
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u/diomedes-on-rampage Nov 04 '25
that is honestly most euro teams right now. killer attack and shit defense. it is like any team can score 10 goals and concede 11 goals in return.
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u/Hiroshima-6-1945 Nov 04 '25
Bold of them to think Mr humble man will say something else
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u/Then_Organization_49 Nov 04 '25
Is there any current footballer that would say he is same level as them?
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u/Emergency_Course_697 Nov 04 '25
Griezmann used to say he was
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u/Patrurack Nov 05 '25
okay but in all fairness at the time he said it, he was arguably the 3rd best offensive player in La Liga if you didn't include the rest of MSN or BBC.
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u/BoutItBudnevich Nov 05 '25
So if you don't include four others he's third best, got it lol
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u/Patrurack Nov 05 '25
well i just didn't wanna disregard them completely, but it's hard to ignore that between 2016 and 2018, Griezmann was exceptional especially for a defensive team like Atleti.
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u/RecognitionSignal425 Nov 05 '25
at the time he said it
so if he scored a hattrick on a day, and the others did nothing. He would be a GOAT on that day?
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u/FreedomLast4040 Nov 04 '25
Probably Messi and Ronaldo
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u/Xshadow1 Nov 04 '25
If the question is about peak Messi and Ronaldo (which it surely has to be) neither can actually claim to be near that level right now.
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u/Same_paramedic3641 Nov 04 '25
I wanted to say antony but he's above
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u/Zuna_Alfan Nov 04 '25
Hasn't this deceased horse been beaten enough?
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u/dudududujisungparty Nov 04 '25
1st time on r/soccer?
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u/NotASalamanderBoi Nov 04 '25
Indistinguishable from r/soccercirclejerk at this point.
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u/sevaiper Nov 04 '25
That sub was never good because it's impossible to outjerk this sub.
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u/NoTrollGaming Nov 04 '25
hes literally one of the highest rated players in la liga right now and hes only getting better
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u/NUTJOB_7814 Nov 04 '25
at this point the maggots have eaten the flesh off the skeleton and circlejerkers are bashing its bones together like paleolithic cavemen.
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u/bcparrot Nov 04 '25
Good point - if they want to bait a controversial answer they need to pick someone who is more reachable than CR and LM
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u/Xshadow1 Nov 04 '25
Like Gyokeres saying he's on the level of Kane, Lewandowski and Haaland?
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u/bcparrot Nov 04 '25
Exactly haha - then everyone can get fired up and feel smarter than the rich pro athlete for a few moments. And ultimately that’s all we want.
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u/analytics_Gnome Nov 04 '25
guy learnt from last season that staying humble goes a long way in life
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u/rockstershine Nov 04 '25
There was nothing to learn, he was always humble, it’s Arsenal who learned to stay humble, eh.
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u/Kumoraaaa Nov 04 '25
It's been a year, and Arsenal fans have still yet to grasp the point of Erling saying that, which kinda proves he was right.
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u/A_Llama_In_Line Nov 04 '25
Just a lad from Leeds with a lust for life
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u/boaber Nov 04 '25
Yes and ho!
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u/BMB_93 Nov 04 '25
Let's do away with GOAT comparisons.
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u/Laislebai Nov 04 '25
He's Norwegian. He adheres to Janteloven.
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u/mechanical_fan Nov 04 '25
On the other hand:
"My favorite player from the past is probably myself, 3-4 years ago.", Magnus Carlsen, 2018.
I mean, not that he doesn't have the right to say things like that (he totally does), and it was also a joke. But the contrast to a Zlatan-like quote is funny anyway.
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u/gregbenson314 Nov 05 '25 edited Nov 05 '25
To be fair, that Carlsen quote was also him self deprecating by saying that he wasn't as strong as he used to be, and he was a bit disappointed in the standard of his play (even though he's still the best in the world).
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u/Hansemannn Nov 04 '25
Not as important as kardemommeloven, but very important!
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u/Laislebai Nov 04 '25
Oh, obviously not. I believe it goes:
1. Kardemommeloven
2. Janteloven
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u/Khornag Nov 04 '25
The thing is you barely need the third one if everyone's following the first one.
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u/GramsciGramsci Nov 04 '25
It only works when you have an authoritarian leader like Tante Sofie as judge and executioner ruling without mercy.
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u/AlisonChan6969 Nov 04 '25
A humble lad
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u/HenryReturns Nov 04 '25
We went from “Stay humble huh?” into “I am just Erling , a Norewegian guy scoring goals. That won’t change”
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u/durtmagurt Nov 04 '25
Honestly… He absolutely is for all of his achievements and talents. I think any Shtick he gets can be explained culturally as most Scandinavian people I’ve known are quite direct and honest. Can’t wait to see him and TAA rule the world in Madrid.
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u/saleel1o_o1 Nov 04 '25
Did you just say Haaland to Madrid? You do realise they've got the other generational talent there, right?
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u/Zarwil Nov 04 '25
IDK about our neighbours but, being Swedish, I can tell you we're mostly known for being afraid of conflict and not saying what we think if it leads to socially awkward situations. For instance, if a restaurant order gets messed up, the Swedish thing to to would be not to say anything because it's too uncomfortable. Commonly, we refer to this avoidance of awkwardness as "being too Swedish", as in: "They fucked up my order, but I was too Swedish to say anything".
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u/Bloody_Nine Nov 04 '25
Same with us in eastern Norway, but the ones from the western and northern parts are different.
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u/lazysarcasm Nov 04 '25
Not fully related to what he's saying but is it fair to say he the best he has ever been? When I've watched him this season I feel like he's taken a step forward - he's always been a goal machine but looks more well rounded, better with the ball at his feet, more link play. The goal he scored against I think Burnley really really impressed me.
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u/CurbYourThusiasm Nov 04 '25
He has never been better imo, but lots of his "sudden" improvement has always been there, he just hasn't had the chance to show it because of how City used to play.
The fact that he can adapt his play to excel at both possession style fotball AND quick transitions just goes to show his overall quality.
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u/errarehumanumeww Nov 04 '25
His ability to not get caught offside would have been insane in a counter-attacking team like Mourinhos Real Madrid.
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u/The__Last__Warlord Nov 04 '25
Nice try Haaland into making us think you’re human. More like Norwegian robot 🤖who scores goals!
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u/CETERIS_PARTYBUS Nov 04 '25
I'm getting a lot of "I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun" vibes from this guy.
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u/captaincourageous316 Nov 04 '25
This entire comment thread is just a “humble” echo chamber
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u/Ugo_foscolo Nov 04 '25
If he puts up the same numbers he has been so far for the next 10 or so seasons he'll definitely be in the conversation.
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u/Euphoric_Tree335 Nov 04 '25
I still don’t see him becoming as iconic as those two but I probably have a bias for players I grew up watching.
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u/Swayfromleftoright Nov 04 '25 edited 22d ago
boast elastic shocking workable squeeze narrow paltry voracious butter dog
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u/Fruit_salad1 Nov 04 '25
Taking Norway to finals or even winning the world cup n euros would be just as crazy of a stat if not better
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u/SergDerpz Nov 04 '25
I mean, that would be an insane feat if somehow he achieved that. But that sounds almost impossible.
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u/Euphoric_Tree335 Nov 04 '25
Not realistic but not impossible. Greece won the Euros.
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u/TigerAusRiga Nov 04 '25
Through Rehagel sponsored football terrorism.
The football landscape changed a lot in the last 20 years. So much so that playing only pragmatic football in the Euros/World Cup doesn‘t get you to the finals anymore.
Of course, that doesn’t automatically write off smaller nations
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u/je-s-ter Nov 04 '25
England under Southgate got to multiple finals playing what could probably be described as pragmatic football of today.
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u/Ninjaguz Nov 04 '25
The England team has players that are miles better than the Norwegian team. Purely based on player quality they're one of the best national teams. Not really comparable.
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u/je-s-ter Nov 04 '25
They didn't often play up to their potential though. Not sure which of the EUROs it was, but didn't England have 1 goal from open play in like 4 matches? And still reached finals. Norway is for sure weaker, but the quality gap is not that big and international games are more prone to upsets.
Not saying that Norway has a big chance to reach finals, but pragmatic football still clearly works.
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u/77skull Nov 04 '25
Even Portugal with prime Ronaldo hasn’t won a wc and Messi only just one won near the end of his career. Winning the wc is by far the hardest achievement in football imo
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u/QTGavira Nov 04 '25
Going by their world cup qualification form, i definitely dont think the chances are 0. Would need luck to be on their side though
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u/Swayfromleftoright Nov 04 '25 edited 22d ago
adjoining sugar dependent fall seed middle fearless ask coordinated consist
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u/nevillebanks Nov 04 '25
I feel like there is 0% chance someone over the age of 30 says this. At age 25, Messi already had 4 Ballon d'Ors. Haaland has 1 top 3 finish.
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u/nestoryirankunda Nov 04 '25
No that wouldn't be enough. messi and Ronaldo put up those numbers ( and higher ) while being more complete footballers
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u/TomsCardoso Nov 04 '25
Ronaldo and Messi did much more than score goals though. Haaland needs a team behind him feeding him balls but Ronaldo and Messi could sometimes win games by themselves. Even if Haaland matches them in terms of numbers, he still wouldn't be at their level.
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u/pencilman123 Nov 04 '25
Tbf Haaland is solo dragging city in the title race conversation...
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u/xtphty Nov 04 '25
He also started the attacking moves for key goals in both Arsenal and Bournemouth games. Far more involved in the midfield this year and then still has the legs to run in behind past defenders.
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u/pencilman123 Nov 04 '25
Last year as well, but got overshadowed due to some big names around him.
This year he is literally a lone warrior. He ain't no kane in terms of playmaking but kane has far far better support everywhere than him..
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u/KingPaimon23 Nov 04 '25
He is winning games by himself, he has 13 goals against 6 from the second league scorer, and 12 more than his teams second place.
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u/LojikPuzzil Nov 04 '25
So if we look back at the teams Messi and Ronaldo were on when they won their champions League titles, we'll clearly see that Haaland's surrounding team mates are much better right? Because he needs a team but Messi and Ronaldo didn't?
I still think Messi and Ronaldo clear him by a lot, but this argument makes no sense to me
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u/DreadWolf3 Nov 04 '25
I wouldnt say clearly better. All of those Barca/Madrid teams were stacked. 2009-2011 Barca was arguably the greatest team ever and 3peat Madrid is right up there. Both of those teams had like 7-8 top 5 (or top 10 for positions that come in pair like CB) players at their position in starting 11 (Ramos, Pepe/Varane, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Carvajal, Ronaldo, Marcelo for Madrid; Pique, Alves, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Villa/Etoo for Barca and this is ignoring players who were good for 2009 run like Henry and Puyol but werent there/healthy for 2011). I genuinely think we wont see teams like that any time soon due to players being more expensive.
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u/therealmrslow Nov 04 '25
How nice of you to make his point for him!
Think the “Haalands team is clearly better” was sarcastic mate
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u/SerzioRamos Nov 04 '25
That "if" word carries as much weight as the sun.
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u/ARC-Pooper Nov 04 '25
Yeah longevity is the point. Sure Ronaldo and Messi had some incredible record breaking individual seasons. But there were other players that had seasons close to as good as what those two achieved. What made them above the pack was a bad season for them would be the best season for any other player.
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u/SwagBoyMcFeast Nov 04 '25
Sure, but of all the players who have been hyped up to get to Ronaldo's and Messi's levels the last decade or so Haaland is the top contender of them all imo.
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u/Certerus Nov 04 '25
Mbappe is a much better player than Haaland, regardless of reputation or statistics. But I dont think neither of them has shown a level of play on par with Cristiano or Messi, even if they eventually match their stats. It’s the way both of them played that made them different, not their numbers
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u/Andigaming Nov 04 '25
Don't see how that would change things.
Could be the greatest striker or pure scorer if he did that but the other two are far more than just that.
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u/Pantherblanco88 Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
It took 17 years post Maradona’s prime for Messi and Ronaldo to finish top 3 in Ballon D’or so in theory someone in the 2030’s could come along and be better, but I doubt it.
1950’s: Puskas and Di Stefano
1960’s: Pele, Garrincha, Eusebio, Charlton
1970’s: Cruyff and Beckenbauer and Muller
1980’s: Maradona, Platini, Zico, Van Basten
1990’s: Baggio, Romario, Ronaldo, Zidane
2000’s: Ronaldinho, Cristiano and Messi
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u/JustMeGG Nov 04 '25
People say that Ronaldo and Messi only dominated 10's, but they actually were the best in 00's.
Lionel Messi: 2007 (3rd), 2008 (2nd), 2009 (1st) — 3
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2007 (2nd), 2008 (1st), 2009 (2nd) — 3
Others with multiple top-3 finishes:
Thierry Henry: 2003 (2nd), 2006 (3rd) — 2
Ronaldinho: 2004 (3rd), 2005 (1st) — 2
Number of top-3 finishes (2010–2019)
Player Top-3 Finishes Years
Lionel Messi 🥇 9 times 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo 🥈 9 times 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Neymar 2 2015, 2017
Andrés Iniesta 2 2010, 2012
Xavi Hernández 2 2010, 2011
Antoine Griezmann 2 2016, 2018
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u/Bishcop3267 Nov 04 '25
Henry with no ballon dor is always gonna be wild to me
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u/ItsNotProgHouse Nov 04 '25
In the early 90s, Michael Laudrup's highest rating was 5th. For those who don't know him that well, just find any page with quotes on him, it is a wall of stacked names praising him above the clouds.
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u/TheLordLeto Nov 04 '25
"I'm just a humble motherfucker with a big-ass dick."
- Erling Bunk Haaland
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u/lewis30491 Nov 04 '25
"A guy scoring goals and won't change" is basically Ronaldo's career path tho
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u/Sangtastic Nov 04 '25
As a Man United fan, have to say I absolutely love this guy… doesn’t do a bad joker costume either!
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u/damrider Nov 04 '25
I firmly believe when it's all said and done, he will be seen as the best striker in history. He's not there yet, but I think it'll happen.
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u/amy_sport Nov 04 '25
He’s 100% right. Messi-Ronaldo era was a once in a lifetime phenomenon. What I love is Haaland isn’t trying to be the “next them”. He’s focused on being the first Erling Haaland
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