Edin Dzeko has compared Erling Haaland and Karim Benzema, but shared the quality that makes the Manchester City man stand out.
- Dzeko compares Haaland and Benzema
- Labels Haaland ‘an animal’
- Highlights Benzema’s ‘class’
WHAT HAPPENED? Haaland is arguably the best striker in the world, a title held by former Real Madrid man Benzema a year ago when he won the 2022 Ballon d’Or. In a recent interview with Millyet newspaper, Fenerbahçe attacker Dzeko compared the two goal-scorers.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Benzema is one of the best strikers in the last 10 years,” Dzeko said. “Haaland will be one of the best strikers of the next 10 years. They are different. Haaland is like an animal! He is goal-hungry. I haven’t seen these qualities in a player recently. Benzema is a classy, technical, quality player.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Dzeko also spoke about the role he played in Man City’s 2012 Premier League triumph. “I scored the second goal for Manchester City in the championship game. It’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime event in your career. Maybe you can win games in the last minutes, but scoring 2 goals in the last 2 minutes and winning the Premier League was an incredible feeling, especially after the fear we experienced in the 2nd half. We became champions after 44 years, it is impossible to explain.”
WHAT NEXT FOR DZEKO?: After leaving City in 2015, Dzeko spent eight years playing in Italy with Roma and Inter Milan. His final game for the Nerazzurri was the Champions League final defeat to City. This summer he made the move to Turkish giants Fenerbahçe where he has already scored three goals and provided two assists in his first three matches.