Erling Haaland is really good, but still not comparable to Ronaldo

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney has sparked controversy after insisting Erling Haaland, despite scoring goals at an astonishing pace, is no match for Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario or R9.

Haaland, only 25 years old, has once again set amazing statistics this season. He has scored 19 goals in 15 games and has a total of 333 goals in 375 games.

These records even surpassed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age. For Deeney, however, statistics aren't everything.

Haaland is indeed crazy, but...

Speaking on talkSPORT, Deeney admitted that the Manchester City striker is a modern football phenomenon. But he believes that Haaland still has shortcomings in all aspects of the full forward.

"You know when a guy is so good, we start looking for his flaws? That's when we realize how good he is, when we think, 'Oh, his passing skills are not that good,'" Deeney said.

"Haaland scored and that's what we got. My concern is that in those games where Arsenal's performance has declined, he has not yet had the ability to improve his performance and find his best form, "

According to him, Haaland is a striker who relies very much on the team's cooperation. In certain games, especially when the opposition is tight in defense, Haaland may have fewer touches on the ball and lose his influence.

Haaland's statistics are not guaranteed to enter Ronaldo's category

If he maintains his average goal rate, Haaland has the potential to finish the season with 48 goals in the Premier League. He has scored 99 Premier League goals in 108 games, putting him on track to challenge Alan Sherard as the all-time top scorer (260 goals).

Still, for Deeney, Haaland still has not reached the level of Ronaldo Nazario.

"He's not in the R9 category. No matter how many goals he scores, he won't be. Anyone who has ever played football will say that," Deeney said firmly.

Ronaldo Nazario, a forward who can do everything

Dini believes that the biggest difference lies in technical ability and personal ability.

"R9 can do it all. Break through the middle with the ball, get past defenders who can really hit the ground running, have two knee surgeries and then go to Old Trafford and score a hat-trick in the Champions League... that's a different level," Deeney said.

He also added that this does not mean that Haaland is not excellent. In his view, Haaland is a modern-day striker hunter - closer to the category of Michael Owen or Andy Cole.

"He is an amazing goalscorer. But if you talk about R9, all football legends agree: he is the most complete striker of all time."

Although his opinion may sound like criticism, Deeney emphasized that Haaland is still one of the best strikers in the world today. However, comparing Haaland to Ronaldo he feels is unfair due to differences in their playing styles and individual qualities