ERLING HAALAND named the seven strikers he thinks are better than him – but would back himself in a crunch tie.
The Manchester City star, 21, has settled into Premier League life well – already scoring 10 goals from his first six games.
And he extended that goalscoring run in the Champions League – netting twice against Sevilla in a 4-0 rout.
In an interview with VG in 2020, the Norwegian sensation could only think of seven centre-forwards in world football better than him at the time – and it was some list.
The seven was made up of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, formerly of Dortmund’s rivals Bayern Munich.
Three of the remaining five strikers played their football in the Premier League with Tottenham hero Harry Kane, Roberto Firmino of Liverpool and Chelsea new Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang named.
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Intriguingly, Timo Werner – who has struggled to replicate his form at Germany at Stamford Bridge and is now back in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig also made the list.
But despite the hundreds of goals between the seven, Haaland emphasised he had the self-confidence to choose himself to lead the line in a huge match.
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There are, however, a few of the biggest No9 names left out.
Haaland omitted the likes of Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema and Romelu Lukaku – as well as Leicester legend Jamie Vardy.
The Norwegian said the Foxes frontman is the ‘best striker in the world’ at getting in behind defences and revealed he watches videos of him in action.
But the biggest surprise sees no Kylian Mbappe, arguably the most valuable player in the world, on the Norwegian’s list.
The pair may not see eye to eye after Mbappe, Neymar and their Paris Saint-Germain team-mates mocked the Dortmund star’s celebration following their comeback win in the Champions League in 2020.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
