Erling Haaland convinced he must leave Manchester City and join European giants to win individual awards after losing to Lionel Messi: Reports

Erling Haaland seems to be convinced that he must leave Manchester City and join Spanish giants Real Madrid to have any chance of winning individual laurels like Lionel Messi, according to Diario AS.

Haaland had an incredible 2022-23 season, netting a staggering 52 goals and assisting nine in 53 games for the Cityzens. He was the driving force as the blue side of Manchester took all of England and Europe by storm.

The 23-year-old helped City win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, completing a treble. He even added a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup title, which City qualified for after winning the aforementioned three trophies.

In contrast, Messi had a pretty tame season. He had 21 goal contributions and 20 assists in 41 games for PSG, and moved to the MLS at the end of the season, where he played 14 games for Inter Miami, scoring 11 goals and five assists. The only major trophies that he lifted were the Ligue 1 with PSG and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami.

Yet, it was Lionel Messi who won both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA's The Best Men's Player awards for the past season. This apparently makes Erling Haaland's entourage believe that the Norwegian must move to a historically prestigious club like Real Madrid to gain focus and global recognition.

Real Madrid are tied with Barcelona as the club with most Ballon d'Or titles (12) in history. With Barcelona in a dire financial situation, Los Blancos seem to be the only sensible option for Erling Haaland.

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Erling Haaland returns in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Burnley

Haaland made his return to football after a two-month absence (stress reaction of the bone) on Wednesday, January 31. He came on as a 71st-minute substitute for Kevin De Bruyne in Manchester City's 3-1 win against Burnley in the Premier League.

De Bruyne also came back recently after a long injury layoff and found top form immediately. He grabbed a goal and an assist in just 21 minutes against Newcastle earlier in January. On Wednesday, he played a cheeky ball for birthday boy Julian Alvarez for City's second goal of the night before making way for the Norwegian.

Erling Haaland received a big ovation from the City fans as he took the pitch at the Etihad. Manager Pep Guardiola now has the two incredible attacking weapons fully fit and at his disposal, and he could not contain his happiness. He said in a post-match presser (via The Athletic):

“He (De Bruyne) comes back with energy. He De Bruyne) played really, really good. Him and Erling are going to help us this part of the season.”