London – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has compared Erling Haaland to the legendary Johan Cruyff after the striker’s stunning winner against Borussia Dortmund.
The Premier League champions had fallen behind in their Champions League clash with the Bundesliga side before a long-range John Stones strike levelled the scores.
Then, with just five minutes remaining, Haaland soared at the back post to meet a sensational Joao Cancelo cross, demonstrating supreme athleticism to send the ball beyond Alexander Meyer with an incredible mid-air outside foot volley.
“What a goal,” Guardiola raved in his post-match press conference. “I remember a long time ago in Barcelona Johan Cruyff scored one quite similar against Atletico Madrid. It’s nice Erling emulated Johan Cruyff.”
Dutch hero Cruyff’s original effort came in a 2-1 La Liga victory over Atleti in 1973, and was just one of the reasons he was regarded as one of the best players in the history of the sport.
Guardiola, who began his own playing career at Barca during Cruyff’s successful tenure as manager at the Camp Nou is pleased to see his late mentor’s influence persist.
He added: “Maybe you know the influence Johan Cruyff had in my life as a person, education and a manager and mentor and everything.
“Johan Cruyff, years ago, scored at the Camp Nou an incredible goal against Atletico Madrid. It was quite similar to Erling Haaland scoring, and the moment he scored the goal, I thought ‘oh Johan Cruyff.’ It was quite similar. So it was a really, really good one. ”
Haaland incidentally joined City from Dortmund in the summer and this goal to slay his former side was his 13th in just nine appearances for the Etihad club following a remarkable start to life in blue.
The nature of this latest strike also had Guardiola draw comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a player the Spaniard briefly managed from 2009 to 2011 at Barca.
Despite the two men falling out and Ibrahimovic going on loan in his second season, Guardiola was still quick to praise the Swedish star’s trademark flexibility and ingenuity in scoring similar goals in the past, when drawing comparisons with Haaland.
“I remember my dear friend Ibrahimovic,” he continued. “He had this ability to put the leg on the roof and Erling is quite similar on that.
“I think it is his nature. He is elastic, he is flexible, and has the ability to make the contact and put the ball in the net.”
