- Erling Haaland pays tribute to Pep Guardiola
- Shares parting message on social media
- Striker speaks about ‘honour of a lifetime’
Erling Haaland has delivered a farewell message to Pep Guardiola, describing just how important the manager has been to Manchester City.
It is fair to say that Erling Haaland changed the way Pep Guardiola operated at Man City. After all, they played without a recognised striker for a number of seasons.
This did not affect the Citizens one bit, with the club repeatedly lifting trophies. However, no one can deny just how impactful Haaland has been since his arrival.
The Norwegian has registered 162 goals and 30 assists in 198 appearances, and he has just won the Premier League golden boot for a third time.
However, Haaland is not taking all the credit for his brilliance. Instead, he wants to recognise how much he has improved because of Guardiola’s mentoring.
Erling Haaland sends goodbye message to Pep Guardiola
Posting on X, Haaland has discussed how even when Man City were delivering repeated successes, he would always learn something new from Guardiola.
This mindset has certainly helped the striker, who has made a big claim about his boss of the past four years.
A coach who never stopped teaching. It sounds crazy to say this, but you made greatness feel normal. Even after hat-tricks, wins and trophies, there was always another lesson, another challenge and another level to reach. That mentality changed this club forever and changed me… pic.twitter.com/GailfItbii
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) May 27, 2026
Haaland said:”A coach who never stopped teaching. It sounds crazy to say this, but you made greatness feel normal.
“Even after hat-tricks, wins and trophies, there was always another lesson, another challenge and another level to reach.
“That mentality changed this club forever and changed me too. The honour of a lifetime to work with the best.
“Thank you for everything, boss.”
Guardiola’s methods were truly iconic
Usually when a player does well, they receive a hug or pat on the back from their manager, and this was not uncommon to see with Guardiola.
However, often he would appear to scold and berate his players, even after they had delivered a brilliant performance.
This was never because Guardiola was unimpressed. Rather, he always wanted to push them to raise their ceiling and do even better.
That was reflected on the pitch, as City lifted 20 pieces of silverware during the Catalan manager’s reign.
Is Guardiola the Premier League’s greatest manager?
The debate as to who was better out of Sir Alex Ferguson and Guardiola has been a big talking point over the past week.
Many would still choose to back the Scotsman. After all, he won 38 trophies with Manchester United, and brought to life the club’s class of ‘92 team.
Despite this, Guardiola is the one who has had the biggest impact on English football. In terms of the way teams play, he has truly changed the game.
Had Guardiola decided to stay longer at Man City, he would have continued to add trophies to the cabinet, because winning is what he did best.
Ultimately both were world class managers, but some would say Guardiola edges it with all factors considered.
