In his impressive debut season at Etihad Stadium, the Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, scored an outstanding 52 goals, contributing to the club’s unprecedented treble. Despite this achievement, he narrowly missed out on the 2023 Ballon d’Or, finishing second to Lionel Messi, the Argentine and Inter Miami star who guided La Albiceleste to their third World Cup title in December 2022.
When asked in a Tuesday press conference if Messi’s retirement is necessary for him to secure top individual awards, Haaland responded, “Good question! I don’t know. I’ve won it all but I’m only 23, so I want to win it all again. Messi is the best that has ever played, maybe he has to retire for someone else to be regarded as the best.”
While Haaland hasn’t replicated his remarkable goal-scoring rate from the previous season, he is leading the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with 18 goals in 22 appearances. Messi, now with Inter Miami in the 2024 MLS season, has made a strong start, contributing to four goals in three games.
The Cityzens are set to face Copenhagen in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, with Haaland looking to add to his five goals in the competition this term. They hold a 3-1 aggregate lead as the reigning European champions. Messi, on the other hand, is preparing for Inter Miami’s upcoming match against Nashville on March 8.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
This season he played in total 3 times for 270 minutes for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi scored 3 goals for Inter Miami. He procured one assist. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami won 5-0 against Orlando City.
Inter Miami performance and stats
Inter Miami is currently 1st in the Major League Soccer with 7 points.
In the last 3 games, it has won twice and drawn once. In its last match, Inter Miami won 5-0 against Orlando City.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 8 goals and conceding 1.
Erling Haaland
Erling Håland
This season he played in total 6 times for 511 minutes for Champions League.
Erling Haaland scored 5 goals for Manchester City. He procured one assist. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 2nd in Champions League. In the last match Manchester City won 3-1 against Manchester United.
Manchester City performance and stats
Manchester City is currently 1st in the Champions League with 18 points.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 18 goals and conceding 7.
Manchester City will play the next match in Champions League against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday 6th of March in Manchester. The prediction is Manchester City winning the match.