Erling Haaland shares admiration for ‘crazy, ridiculous’ Kylian Mbappe – ‘Would like him to play for Norway’

Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has shared his admiration for Kylian Mbappe, labelling the Paris Saint-Germain star “crazy” and an “incredible player”.

Haaland and Mbappe have both ascended to the top of the game in quick time, with Mbappe winning the World Cup at 19 and starring on a regular basis in the Champions League for first Monaco, and then Paris Saint-Germain.

Haaland’s feats don’t match Mbappe’s on the international stage, but the Norwegian’s goalscoring record in domestic leagues and European competitions has been extraordinary, and he has continued scoring for fun for Manchester City this term after joining from Borussia Dortmund.

They appear the heirs to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in all but name, and there seems to be a high level of respect between them – certainly from Haaland’s side.

In an interview with Canal+, Haaland said: “There are so many good players and Kylian is one of them. He is so strong. The French are so lucky that he plays for France.

“I would like him to play for Norway obviously, but it’s not the case. But yes, he’s an incredible player.”

Expanding on Mbappe’s palmarès to date, Haaland added: “He’s so fast, so strong and he’s been doing it for so many years.

“What is he? Two years older than me? It’s crazy.

“Sometimes you have to tell yourself that he still has ten years of playing at the top level.

“He is phenomenal.”