Erling Haaland thinks like Karim Benzema that statistics have become too important in football.
Erling Haaland is from another generation than Karim Benzema but, like the French striker, he finds that statistics are too important in current football. “I totally understand what he means. Football is changing. It changes every year, the sport evolves. Statistics aren’t everything, I think it’s important, but it’s not the most important thing”confides the Norwegian international in an interview with World Eleven.
“The most important thing is how you play football. So I somewhat agree with him on this point.adds the Manchester City striker, voted best UEFA player of the year 2023. It’s still important to score a lot. When you look at the best players, even Benzema, look at his statistics, they are fantastic. The stats also come when you play good football. But overall I agree with him. »
That doesn’t stop the Citizens star from loving that his admirers see him as a cyborg, capable of stacking goals. “People call me ‘the machine’ and I find it very funny. Sometimes, I have a bit of a machine side, yes”, he smiles. With 50 goals to his name last year, the former Dortmund goalkeeper finished behind Cristiano Ronaldo (54), Harry Kane (52) and Kylian Mbappa (52), but won a Premier League-FA Cup treble -Champions League.