“Messi had the ability for himself to do it” – Pep Guardiola explains ‘difference’ between Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained the difference between Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi after the former's sensational hat-trick in the Manchester derby on Sunday (October 2).

The Sky Blues beat Manchester United 6-3 in the Premier League at the weekend, with Haaland and Phil Foden each scoring a hat-trick in the rout.

While it was Foden's first hat-trick of his career, Haaland bagged his third in consecutive home league games, becoming the first player in Premier League history to achieve the feat.

The Norwegian also became the quickest player to score three hat-tricks in the competition, needing only eight games to do so.

It was a record-breaking evening for the youngster, whose blistering exploits drew parallels with a certain Lionel Messi, Guardiola's former player at Barcelona.

The Spaniard was later asked about how these two are different, to which he responded (via Roy Nemer):

"The difference, Erling needs maybe all his mates, you know to do it. Unbelievable. Messi had the ability for himself to do it."

Messi, at Erling Haaland's age, had won the Champions League, netting the famous header against Manchester United in the Rome final to seal the treble for the Catalans.

It was also Guardiola's first season in charge of the club, and the pair went on to lift more trophies over the next three years, including another European title in 2011.

Under the Spaniard, Messi struck 211 goals and have 90 assists in 219 appearances, averaging over a goal per game. Erling Haaland, in 11 appearances under Guardiola so far, has scored 17 goals while boasting an average of 1.5 goals per game.

---

Erling Haaland is the favorite for Premier League Golden Boot

With another three goals to his name, Haaland has now struck 14 goals in the Premier League from just eight appearances. No player comes close to matching his tally. Harry Kane is second in the rankings with seven for Tottenham Hotspur while Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic has six goals to his name.

Last season's Golden Boot winners, Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min have seen a drop in form this season, netting only two and three goals, respectively.

Since joining the Sky Blues from Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland has been in a league of his own, scoring goals left, right and center to take England by storm.

The Norwegian is simply unstoppable right now and could not only win the Premier League Golden Boot but also set a new record for goals scored in a single campaign. The current record is shared by Alan Sherer and Andy Cole for 34 goals in the 1994-95 and 1993-94 seasons, respectively.