Not Messi or Ronaldo, Erling Haaland is soccer's next global superstar

Erling Haalands recordbreaking first season at Manchester City turned many heads kept everyone at the edge of their seats With superstarsLionel Messi on his way to Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo already in Saudi Arabia the Norwegian has rightly cemented himself as probably the most lethal goalscorer in the sportThis Saturday he could fire Pep Guardiolas City to its first Champions League title and a historic treble of trophies after winning the Premier League and FA Cup this season Perhaps only Paris SaintGermain forward Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior can challenge Haaland to the title of the worlds best in the postMessi and Ronaldo eraHaaland has exceeded all expectations in his first season at City after signing from Borussia Dortmund last summer His goalscoring talents were already well known European giants Real Madrid and Manchester United were among his admirers But his feats at City have defied belief at times and set new standards in Englands top flightWith 36 goals in the Premier League he set a new benchmark in the division by breaking the record of 34 which was jointly held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer It had stood for 29 yearsHe scored 52 in all competitions including six hattricksHaalands five goals against Leipzig in the Champions League matched the record held by Messi and Luiz Adriano for the most in a single game in European soccers top club competitionAlso Read lsquoA bit unreal to be honestrsquo Erling Haaland enthralls one and all with elusive recordsHe also became the fastest and youngest player to reach 30 Champions League goalsHis mentality is to score more more City manager Pep Guardiola saidWhile he will likely be the player Inter Milan fears most in Saturdays final in Istanbul Haaland is on something of a scoring drought heading into the gameJust one goal in his last seven matches represents his worst run for five years dating back to when he was still establishing himself at Norwegian team MoldeThat recent dry spell however has done nothing to shake the sense that Citys goal machine is one of the few players capable of taking over from Messi and Ronaldo as soccers next global icon especially as the 22yearold Haaland is still developing his game and honing his talentHis allround game has improved after developing more of an understanding with his City teammates He was outstanding for instance in the 40 win against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals despite not getting on the scoresheetJust as Messi and Ronaldos rivalry helped drive them to even greater heights iquest sharing 12 Ballon dOr trophies between them iquest Haalands primary competition for the title of the worlds No 1 soccer player is likely to come from Mbappe and Vinicius But while Haaland may not have their finesse or intricate footwork his raw power athleticism and scoring instinct sets him apartAnd his distinctive looks add to his aura as a nearirrepressible forceIm 196 meters 6foot4 tall and Ive got long blond hair so wherever I go people are going to see me Haaland saidThe greatest players are judged by the trophies they win Messis World Cup triumph with Argentina in December has for many settled the debate as to who is the greatest out of him and Ronaldo who has never won the competitionHaaland is already playing catchup in terms of trophies in comparison to Mbappe and Vinicius Hes one game away from adding the Champions League to his Premier League and FA Cup collection He looks likely to be a contender for many years to come as more records surely fall Not that filling Messis shoes will be an easy taskEven Haalands remarkable feats this season have fallen short of Messis most prolific campaign when he scored 73 goals in all competitions for Barcelona in 201112 including 50 in the Spanish leagueRonaldo meanwhile scored 61 for Real Madrid in 201415Im still really young Im still 22 Ive got a long career ahead of me and i still have to develop Haaland saidAsked recently if he was now the best goalscorer in the world he was coyI dont want to answer that I think someone else should answer that But I scored most goals this season I think so thats a good start Haaland saidWith AP inputs