Defender Manuel Akanji believes that teammate Erling Haaland puts the club’s interests higher than personal awards.
Haaland and Akanji helped Man City win the treble last season, including the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. Among them, the Norwegian striker is considered the most impressive individual, scoring 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions last season. This form makes Haaland considered a strong candidate for the 2023 Golden Ball award, losing to Lionel Messi.
Akanji believes Haaland will win the Golden Ball in the future, but also revealed that his teammates do not place more importance on this than the club’s achievements. The Swiss midfielder said: “He did everything last year, scored 50 goals and won the treble. Of course, it would be great if Haaland won the Golden Ball. But I think he cares more about team success instead of individual achievements. I still hope Haaland will win the Golden Ball someday,” Akanji told ESPN.
Not only at Man City, Akanji worked side by side with Haaland for two and a half years at Dortmund. Therefore, the 28-year-old midfielder is considered one of the people who understands Haaland the most. Both players will join Man City in the summer of 2022.
This season, Haaland has scored 15 goals in 17 matches for Man City, including a double against Young Boys in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday. He leads the Premier League top scorer race. Akanji believes that Haaland will help Man City achieve good results in two predicted difficult matches against Chelsea and Liverpool.
“We played together for quite a long time and when Haaland went to Man City, I followed suit. You can see Haaland’s ability in every match. He scores many important goals and trains very hard. Every day , Haaland sets challenges for himself. Sometimes, Haaland gets frustrated because he misses out, but he will move on and score again. Whether he finishes at a distance of 2 meters or not, he wants to score every goal. goal,” Akanji said, and also revealed that Haaland practices even on weekends.
Akanji missed the match against Young Boys due to a back injury but Man City coach Pep Guardiola believes he will return in time for the match against Chelsea on Sunday.