Erling Haaland’s stunning start to his Manchester City career has led Ilkay Gundogan to believe he can contend for the Ballon d’or.
Ilkay Gundogan says his “special” Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland can be a future contender to win the Ballon d’Or.
Since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in June, Haaland has scored 20 goals in 13 games to become the first player in Premier League history to score hat-tricks in three consecutive home games, the last of which came against rivals Manchester United in 6 games. 3 threshing.
The 22-year-old was ranked tenth in the 2022 Ballon d’Or as Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema was named the world’s best player for the first time on Monday.
Gundogan believes Norway international Haaland has all the attributes to win the prestigious award.
“The quality is there, everyone can see it,” Gundogan told City’s official website. “There’s a lot of quality that he already brings to our team, to his game.
“But also the way he deals with the things that are important to him and the mentality, the determination he has on game day and also in training in the dressing room. I think that’s something special.”
“Also, he’s humble. He knows he has to work hard to get where he is and even get to better places.”
“I’m sure all of that together will only make him better and better, not just this season but for the next few years.
“It’s going to make him an incredible player. He already is, but he’s only going to get better and I think it’s going to increase his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.”
