‘Haaland’s taking the p*** now’: Celebrity pundits react to Erling Haaland’s stunning five-goal haul

Erling Haaland not only stunned those inside the Etihad Stadium with his five goals against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, but also captured the attention of some of English football’s most celebrated stars.

The 22-year-old goalscoring sensation continued his rise to the top of world football by scoring five times in City’s 7-0 win over their Bundesliga opponents to qualify for the competition’s quarter-finals.

Haaland’s run saw him surpass Mohamed Salah as this season’s Champions League top scorer, as he also became the youngest player to score 30 goals in the European tournament, surpassing PSG’s Kylian Mbappe in that achievement.

Tuesday’s goals brought his goal tally in all competitions for City to 39 in 36 appearances so far this season, with former Premier League stars taking to social media to celebrate generational talent.

Celebrated England striker Gary Lineker took to Twitter to post humorous praise of Haaland’s goalscoring exploits when he posted online: “I think this guy Erling Haaland has something.

Haaland’s first goal came from the penalty spot after a controversial handball

Haaland then headed City’s second goal after reacting quicker to Kevin de Bruyne’s rebound.

Match-of-the-day co-host and Premier League record scorer Alan Shearer posted an even simpler tribute to Tuesday’s display of incredible skill when he posted five applause emojis in one short, subtle tweet.

However, former Spurs and Liverpool leader Peter Crouch took a more informal and direct narrative when describing Haaland’s monstrous hunger for goals, writing: “Haaland is taking the p*** now.”

While England’s sole Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen referenced suggestions from some rivals that goalscoring somehow makes City a lesser team, adding: “And they say Man City are a worse team with Erling Haaland”.

City women’s team star Steph Houghton was further impressed with his compatriots at the club who ended up posting just his name along with a series of emojis that left no doubt about their admiration for the striker.

Former Man United Champions League-winning defender Rio Ferdinand also hailed Haaland’s form as “amazing”, and working as a pundit at BT Sport said: “What Haaland is doing in football at the moment is amazing.” .

Haaland celebrated his five goals by raising his hand to the public inside the Etihad

‘When he’s playing like that in the team, they’re absolutely dominant. He gets the feeling as long as everyone else is a 7/10 and he’s here “we win”.

“He brings a superpower to the team and this is already a supercharged team with exceptional talent, and there is hunger and desire in his game above all else.”

Guardiola’s ambitious superstar squad became the second English team to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 after Chelsea came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge last week.

However, it seems unlikely that the Premier League duo will join Liverpool, who face the almost impossible task of overturning a 5-2 deficit against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.