Jamie Carragher aims Ballon d’Or dig at Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior in Erling Haaland praise | OneFootball

Liverpool legend and now football pundit Jamie Carragher has issued a dig towards Real Madrid whilst issuing high praise towards Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

Carragher is the latest among global pundits to hail the Norwegian striker’s dominance in English football, particularly following another blistering start to his cross-competition campaign for club and country.

Haaland has smashed numerous records since joining Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer of 2022, and has continued to be the defining difference between Manchester City and their opponents of late.

The City number nine’s consistency in front of goal has repeatedly placed him at the heart of discussions around the Ballon d’Or and global football recognition. Yet, his latest omission from the upper echelons of the 2024 award raised eyebrows among analysts and fans alike.

Writing in his latest column for The Telegraph newspaper, Jamie Carragher believes while Arsenal may view Liverpool as their fiercest rivals for this season’s Premier League title, Erling Haaland alone offers a very different threat to the direction of the top-flight crown.

“Arsenal came into this season worried about Liverpool being the major obstacle to ending a 21-year title wait. Now their biggest fear might be Erling Haaland,” Carragher penned during his recent write-up.

He continued, “Where Arsenal have the best squad among the contenders and Liverpool must fix well-documented issues, Manchester City have the most influential player and dynamic attacker.

“The Norwegian is the biggest reason why Pep Guardiola’s side have a great chance of reclaiming their crown. Without him, City’s most realistic target would be finishing in the top four.”

Some have questioned whether Manchester City’s over-dependance on the Norway international for goalscoring will be a concern, however Carragher has admitted, “Guardiola will feel blessed.

“Haaland is so good he can be the difference every time he plays. He is the most lethal finisher of this generation, which is why he is already worthy of comparison with past legends.”

And while reflecting on Haaland’s recent placing among the Ballon d’Or rankings, Jamie Carragher issued a clever dig at those from the Santiago Bernabeu, and Real Madrid’s handling of Vinicius Junior’s defeat to Rodri for the 2024 edition of the award.

“In the last Ballon d’Or vote, Haaland was 26th on the list. That is ridiculous, even when accounting for City’s disappointing season,” said Carragher.

“Haaland finished second to Lionel Messi when City won the treble. Had he been a Real Madrid player missing out after scoring 52 goals in 53 games in a Champions League-winning season, there probably would have been a club boycott of the ceremony.”

Erling Haaland himself has remained unfazed by his latest standing in the Ballon d’Or rankings, continuing his trademark focus on goals, fitness, and recovery – using his recent early Norway camp exit to unwind and prepare for City’s intense run of fixtures.

Should Haaland maintain his current scoring rate and guide Manchester City to more silverware this season perhaps both in England and Europe, it would perhaps be increasingly difficult for voters to overlook the most devastating finisher in world football.