MY ACCOUNT
Erling Haaland’s stunning form for Manchester City makes it appear as if he is playing against children, so says Kaka.
Haaland netted twice in the first half of City’s Champions League 5-0 rout of Copenhagen on Wednesday, before he was taken off at the interval by Pep Guardiola.
It takes Haaland to 19 goals across all competitions in just 12 appearances this season, with the 22-year-old displaying a thoroughly ruthless intent up front.
Kaka, a Ballon d’Or winner in 2007, believes Haaland is playing at a different level to most players, like a proverbial big kid in the playground.
“It is incredible what this guy is doing,” Kaka said in his capacity as a pundit on beIN SPORTS. “It seems like he’s playing against kids!
“I think he can break all the records. What he’s [been] doing [since] the start of the season, it is unbelievable. Congratulations to him. He’s ready to play in the top level, like the Premier League.
“He played in the Bundesliga, at a high level as well. But this level in the Premier League and Champions League, it is not easy to score the number of goals he [has].
“It is nice for us to see a forward and a player like him. It is enjoyable. We enjoy it a lot, to see this kind of player.”
Haaland has scored 28 goals in 22 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, a goals-per-game record of 1.27; there are 98 teams with a worse goals per game record than him in the competition.
He is also the third player to score in each of his first three Champions League appearances for an English club, after Marouane Chamakh for Arsenal and Ferran Torres for City.
Kaka’s fellow pundit Ruud Gullit concurred with his assessment, stating his belief that the marriage of Haaland and City was the correct choice to strengthen both parties.
“I think he went to the right team,” he added. “With the way they attack, the way they are in the box, because he doesn’t want to run a lot. He just wants to be in the box.
“With his height, he wins the headers. It’s almost [like he is] a mixture of three [different] players, or something like that. He is unbelievably quick.
“[He is] exceptional. [Lionel] Messi was a freak of nature, but this guy is as well. He is unbelievable.”
