Erling Haaland’s debut season in England was outstanding, as he scored 52 goals in all competitions. He was awarded with both the Premier League Golden Boot and European Golden Shoe awards.
However, former Madrid player and Ziggo Sport pundit Rafael van der Vaart criticized Haaland, stating that he is average on the ball and useless if he doesn’t score. Despite this, the 23-year-old has managed to score six times in Europe’s top competition this season, placing him behind only Harry Kane in terms of goals scored.
In response to the criticism, Haaland’s manager Pep Guardiola defended him, expressing his disagreement with van der Vaart’s comments and stating that Haaland is an exceptional player. Guardiola emphasized Haaland’s contribution to the team’s success from the previous season and refuted the notion that their struggles in a recent game were due to Haaland’s performance.
Furthermore, Haaland’s return in February saw him scoring the winning goal against Brentford, making him one of the few players to have scored against every Premier League team they had faced, along with Kane.