Bayern Munich Alumni: Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland will be the key to winning the Champions League

Erling Haaland is a beast, there’s no other way to put it. The towering Norwegian striker signed for Manchester City this summer and he looks even better in the Midlands. Bayern Munich had a go at Haaland but ended up losing out to City and angered Robert Lewandowski who moved to FC Barcelona in the summer as well. This time around, Haaland might be the final piece of the puzzle that will get Pep Guardiola the trophy that has eluded him for 11 years

Guardiola, who managed Bayern from 2013 to 2016, has had tough luck in the Champions League. He hasn’t won it since 2011 with Barcelona in a rematch of the 2009 final against Manchester United, Man City’s neighbor and rival.

Photo by Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images

Guardiola revealed to Jan Aage Fjörtoft on Viaplay (as captured by Sport Bild) what makes Haaland, who scored an incredible 22 goals in his first 15 competitive games for City, so strong. “He moves well in the tightest of spaces”, Guardiola said. “People say he’s a machine, he has incredible speed over the longer distances, of course he brings that with him, but in the tightest of spaces he moves incredibly well.”

Haaland is also a real team player, something which surprised the 51-year-old coach. “Of course every striker is happy when he scores goals. But what surprised me the most about Erling, I didn’t know him, is how happy he was when his team-mates scored, set up a goal, how he celebrated with them”, said Guardiola. “Even if we play in practice — wow! The way he laughs when his teammates score a goal. And that says a lot about his generosity and empathy for his teammates. And that’s really great.”

Haaland is definitely thriving in Manchester and he’s continuously improving himself, but one can only wonder what he could have done in Munich.