Pep Guardiola tipped Erling Haaland to win the Ballon d’Or after his latest goalscoring masterclass.
Haaland scored twice – including a sensational 25-yard strike – as holders City marched into the Champions League last 16. But victory came at a price for City, with England defender John Stones picking up an injury Guardiola said will keep him out “for a while”.
“If he and his mates can win more trophies, then he will have a chance to win it,” said Guardiola. “If he doesn’t, then he won’t win it.”
Haaland took his goal tally to 39 in just 34 Champions League matches and has now scored 67 in 70 games for City. He was unplayable, so much so that Young Boys captain Mohamed Ali Camara asked him for his shirt at half-time with the score at 2-0.
Guardiola’s joy at qualifying was tempered by the injury to Stones, a recurrence of the problem that kept him out at the start of the season. “I feel so sorry for him,” said the Spanish boss.
“He felt it again. It’s a big loss for us. I think he will be out for a while. John is so important for what he does. But the season is long and he can recover. He will be back stronger.”
Victory made it 23 consecutive home wins for Guardiola’s side, just one short of the English record set by Sunderland across 1891 and 1892. City can equal that record when they hosted Liverpool in the Premier League on November 25.