Kevin De Bruyne reveals controversial comparison between Erling Haaland and former Manchester City legend

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has drawn comparisons between Erling Haaland and Sergio Aguero following Saturday’s win at West Ham.

The Belgian international has played alongside both Sergio Aguero and Erling Haaland during his time at the Etihad Stadium, with the Norwegian striker currently pursuing Aguero’s Premier League record for the most number of hat-tricks.

The 24-year-old has scored successive hat-tricks against both West Ham and Ipswich Town during the opening weeks of the new Premier League season, with Haaland’s latest three-goal haul at the London Stadium being the striker’s first hat-trick away from the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland, who has now scored 97 goals in 102 Manchester City appearances, helped Manchester City to a 1-3 win in east London on Saturday evening, scoring his 11th hat-trick for the Sky Blues.

The forward has won the Premier League Golden Boot award back-to-back since moving to east Manchester from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, with Haaland having already netted 70 Premier League goals.

The Norway star replaced club legend Sergio Aguero at the Etihad Stadium, with the Argentinian having become the Blues’ all-time top goalscorer, scoring 260 goals in 390 appearances between 2011 and 2021.

Aguero scored 16 hat-tricks across all competitions for Manchester City, with De Bruyne having played alongside the legendary forward on 153 occasions.

Speaking following Haaland’s latest hat-trick, De Bruyne compared the two Manchester City strikers, saying: “All around, maybe Kun [Aguero] but it depends on what you talk about. Erling [Haaland] is the most prolific striker I’ve played with.

“I’ve played with really good strikers like Kun, Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres, there’s some good guys. It’s hard to compare but the stats speak for themselves. He’s started the season on fire and let’s hope he maintains it.”

Haaland has already scored seven Premier League goals for Manchester City this season, with the 24-year-old also netting during a 0-2 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign.