Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, faced harsh criticism after a lacklustre display in the first leg of their quarterfinal clash against Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.
The Norwegian forward has been under scrutiny recently due to a noticeable decline in his goal-scoring form and overall performance during the crucial stage of the season.
Despite an impressive tally of 30 goals in 37 appearances this season, including six in the UEFA Champions League, per Transfermarkt, Haaland has struggled to find the back of the net, managing just one goal in his last seven outings for both club and country.
How did Haaland perform against Real Madrid?
In the tense encounter against Madrid, where both teams played out a thrilling six-goal draw, Haaland's contribution was minimal, with only one shot on target and seven instances of losing possession, highlighting his subpar performance.
Such statistics are disappointing for a player often hailed as one of the potential successors to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and he is likely to face significant criticism as a result.
Van der Vaart launches scathing attack on Haaland
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart, did not mince his words, branding the 23-year-old striker as 'useless'.
"Erling Haaland was very bad. If he doesn't score, he's quite useless. I find him to be a very average player on the ball," he said, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
The Dutchman, who appeared unimpressed with the Norwegian star, added: "His teammates even skipped him. He was the worst player on the pitch."
Haaland brutally told he's a League Two player
Van der Vaart's critique follows a harsh evaluation from Manchester United icon, Roy Keane, who likened Haaland to a League Two player, as Sports Brief previously reported.
The Norwegian striker faced significant backlash for his performance against Arsenal in the Premier League, with the footballer-turned-pundit delivering a scathing appraisal.
Haaland struggled to make an impact during City's goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium and Keane said the City star needed to improve his overall poor efforts as a footballer.
Comments