Erling Haaland: Guardiola Calls Manchester City Star “Better Than Treble Season” as Gary Neville Labels Him World’s Best Striker

 By Sam Cohen (Rewritten for PLSWorldNews)

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes Erling Haaland is playing the best football of his career, insisting the Norwegian forward looks even sharper than he did during last season’s historic treble-winning campaign.

Haaland, who famously fired City to Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League glory in his debut season, has opened the 2025/26 Premier League season in blistering form. He has already netted five goals in his first four league appearances, plus another in the Champions League, and was decisive again in last weekend’s Manchester derby win over United.

“Erling has been incredible. This season he’s better than ever even better than the treble season. Very dynamic. We want him to score goals and to help us,” Guardiola told Sky Sports after the Napoli game in which Haaland grabbed his 50th Champions League goal.

That strike made him the fastest player in history to reach the half-century mark in Europe’s premier club competition, another record added to his collection at just 25 years old. Guardiola believes, if Haaland stays fit, he could even break Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time Champions League scoring record of 141 goals.

Haaland’s first season at the Etihad in 2023 was one of the greatest debuts English football has ever seen. The striker smashed 52 goals in all competitions  including a Premier League record 36 —and swept up virtually every individual award going, from the Golden Boot to the FWA Footballer of the Year and both Player and Young Player of the Season prizes.

This year City have not hit their stride as a team but Haaland remains unstoppable. Phil Foden praised his team-mate’s “complete performance” against Manchester United, saying: “He did everything defending, attacking, the dirty work. A full shift from him.”

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville also reserved special praise for the City number nine. Speaking on his podcast ahead of Sunday’s Arsenal v Manchester City clash, he called Haaland “the best centre-forward in the world,” adding:

“He scores so many goals but I think he can still do more hold the ball up, bully defenders, defend in his own box, win headers. He’s that good a player. Today was that performance.”

Neville even compared Haaland to City legend Sergio Agüero, saying he could easily hit 40 or 45 league goals a season.

With 12 goals in seven games for club and country already this term, Haaland is setting frightening new standards. For Guardiola, the numbers speak for themselves: “We are lucky to have him. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano, Messi for Erling to be there is unbelievable.”

Manchester City visit Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday, live on Sky Sports at 4.30pm and all eyes will again be on Haaland to see what heights he can reach next.