"Don't think we've ever seen a player like this" - Ex-Chelsea star compares Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland to Usain Bolt

Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has compared Manchester City striker Erling Haaland to eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.

Cole's comments came in the aftermatch of the Cityzens' 4-0 thrashing of Sevilla in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (September 6). Haaland was amongst the goals once again, netting a brace, while Phil Foden and Ruben Dias supplied the other two goals.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker converted Kevin De Bruyne's teasing ball into the box in the 20th minute to put his side ahead. He then tapped the ball into an empty net after Foden's shot was palmed out by Sevilla custodian Yassine Bounou.

After the match, Cole drew comparisons between Haaland and Bolt, praising the pace the duo have, given their physical attributes. He told BT Sport (as quoted by the Express):

“I don’t think we have ever seen a player like this. He reminds me of Usain Bolt, a man that big, moving that fast, it doesn’t seem right.”

The Englishman, who played 281 times for Chelsea and won 10 trophies between 2003 and 2010, added:

“He has got so much, he is exciting, and if he stays fit he will break all the records no doubt about it.”

By scoring twice against Sevilla, Haaland became the fastest player to reach 25 Champions League goals. The Norwegian achieved the feat in just his 20th match in the competition.

Prior to his first Champions League match for Manchester City, he scored 15 times in 13 games for Dortmund and eight times in six appearances for Red Bull Salzburg.

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Erling Haaland has had an unbelievable start to his first season with Manchester City

Haaland endured a rough outing in Manchester City's FA Community Shield loss against Liverpool in August. He missed a couple of decent chances to score and didn't seem to be on the same wavelength as his teammates on a few occasions.

However, that performance and the 3-1 defeat seem like distant memories now. Haaland has settled in just fine at the Etihad, as evidenced by his brace against West Ham United on Matchday 1 of the 2022-23 Premier League season.

The Norwegian didn't score in City's next league game against AFC Bournemouth but laid out an assist as they romped to a 4-0 victory. He found the back of the net once more to initiate a comeback as Pep Guardiola's side played out a thrilling 3-3 draw against Newcastle United.

Haaland then scored consecutive hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest before scoring his side's only goal in their draw with Aston Villa.

He will now look to add to his tally of 11 goals in six Premier League matches when Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, September 10.