Erling Haaland has scored eight goals in two games, including five in the Champions League against Leipzig last week and three in Saturday's 6-0 rout of Burnley in the FA Cup. Because of his performance in the UCL Round of 16, the Norwegian striker joined Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano as the only players to achieve that feat.
With around 30 minutes left in last week's game, Pep Guardiola took the 22-year-old off the field as he attempted to score a double hat-trick, sparking speculation on social media that the move was made to protect Messi's record-setting status.
Thus, the City manager was called out for not allowing his player to break this unique accomplishment. Now, Haaland was substituted off by the Spaniard at a similar moment during the 6-0 rout of Burnley.
What did Pep Guardiola say about replacing Erling Haaland once again?
When asked why he took off his starting superstar striker again in the FA Cup, Pep Guardiola had a witty explanation: "I didn’t want him to break the record for Messi in the FA Cup. I try to punish my players – it is my intention!"
This season, Haaland has scored six hat tricks across all competitions. All other players in the Premier League put together don't even come close to that number. In fact, after just 37 games with the EPL winners, the Norwegian international currently has 42 goals for the Sky Blues.
The 22-year-old is closing up on Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 44 goals in all competitions, as well as Clive Allen's Premier League-era record of 49 goals for Tottenham in 1986-1987. For Haaland, nothing short of Dixie Dean's 60 goals in the 1920s would suffice as a career highlight.
