Pep Guardiola praised Erling Haaland's behaviour off the pitch as he brought him into a conversation about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Comments that the Manchester City manager made in a broadcast interview after their 4-1 win over Southampton comparing his striker to the two modern greats prompted a further discussion in his press conference. There, he made clear that Haaland had only done for a season what the duo had managed over two decades, but has seen enough from the 22-year-old to think that he can at least attempt to take their mantle.
Guardiola said that Haaland has a similar mindset to Messi did but warned that he needs to steer clear of injury if he is to try and match the achievements of the two great forwards. If Messi will always by number one in Guardiola's eyes, the manager did say that he gets more smiles from Haaland.
