Pep Guardiola was stuffed with reward for Manchester Metropolis striker Erling Haaland, claiming it’s troublesome to discover a “actual world-class participant” who’s “extremely humble”.
Haaland has loved one other quick begin to the season, scoring 13 targets in 10 Premier League video games and 4 occasions in three Champions League appearances.
Metropolis’s subsequent match is in opposition to Haaland’s former aspect, Borussia Dortmund, and the Norwegian striker may make some historical past in opposition to the Bundesliga outfit.
Haaland may turn into the primary participant to attain in 5 consecutive Champions League appearances for as many as three completely different groups, having beforehand carried out so for RB Salzburg (November 2019, 5 video games) and Dortmund (March 2021, six video games).
Guardiola believes that having a participant with Haaland’s high quality on the pitch and character off it’s fairly uncommon.
“It’s troublesome to discover a actual, actual world-class participant that’s extremely humble and thinks what’s the greatest for the staff,” mentioned Guardiola.
“It’s troublesome to search out. When a participant has this type of potential and the expertise and generosity and kindness, no matter you need to say and Erling is like that.
“Usually a striker simply thinks of targets, targets, targets. In fact he has to attain targets, that’s clearly clear. However he signed a contract for 10 years and the extra he’s concerned in lots of issues shall be higher for him and the membership.”
A round-up of our greatest targets from October @Xylem #RainingGoals pic.twitter.com/CHiVzGxgOM
— Manchester Metropolis (@ManCity) November 4, 2025
Guardiola is unbeaten in his final 10 video games in opposition to Dortmund throughout all competitions (W6 D4), together with his most up-to-date defeat in opposition to them coming within the 2014 Franz Beckenbauer Tremendous Cup ultimate.
All three of his defeats in 15 complete matches in opposition to Dortmund (W8 D4) got here between 2013 and 2014 throughout Jurgen Klopp’s reign.
The Spaniard was requested how he tailored his ways to Haaland’s fashion of play, however insisted it was not a problem.
Guardiola added: “I performed with false-9s with [Lionel] Messi. I performed with false-9 with [Robert] Lewandowski, I performed that method with Sergio Aguero and right here with Phil Foden and now with Erling we can’t play that method as a result of he’s too good.”
