“Haaland is happy to be a counterweight to Messi and Kylian Mbappe. It was a great night for Man City,” Guardiola said on November 3 at a press conference before the match against Bournemouth in round 11 of the Premier League. “For the first time, a Man City player can compete for the Golden Ball, and that is very important for us.”
Haaland is a strong candidate to compete for the 2023 Golden Ball title with Messi after an explosive season with Man City. The Norwegian striker scored 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions, helping Man City win a historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, breaking many scoring records. However, that was only enough to help Haaland finish second in the 2023 Golden Ball race, behind Messi – the star who helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup. Ranked third is Mbappe – the striker who experienced a successful season when contributing 54 goals. goals, 13 assists in 56 matches for both club and national team.
Although many people think Haaland deserves to win the award, Pep Guardiola emphasized that his student is satisfied with his first time competing for the Golden Ball. “Haaland has his whole career ahead, and he can continue to compete for the title next season if he helps the club,” the Spanish coach expressed.
Last week, Man City won 3-0 at Man Utd’s field in round 10 of the Premier League. When reminded of this result, Guardiola said that he and his students had not gone through an easy match, and warned that any team could go through a difficult period like their opponent. “The match was not easy and I respect Man Utd very much,” he said. “Man City has gone through a difficult period like Man Utd is now. No club can avoid such situations.”
Man City had a rare break, not having to play in the middle of the week due to being eliminated by Newcastle in the third round of the League Cup. When asked if this was an advantage before the Bournemouth match – the club lost 1-2 to Liverpool in the 1/8 round of the League Cup in midweek -, Guardiola replied: “We like to play every three days, but It’s also nice to rest, have a day or two to relax. We don’t complain when we play a lot of matches and we don’t complain when we have time to rest.”