It’s not because of their looks, stature, or the country they are from. It is the innate desire in them; the glamorous ingredient they bring to the beautiful game that we all love: Goals.
When you think of strikers like Hernan Crespo, Ronaldo de Lima, Filippo Inzaghi, Thierry Henry, Ruud Van Niisterooy, Didier Drogba, Alan Shearer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, and a few others in recent football memory, you would easily find one thing in common among them: they were lethal goal poachers.
When it comes to delivering the hardest football knockouts, these guys were lethal. They had the position and size of the goalpost in their mind, such that they could hit the target even with their eyes closed when they had the opportunity. They were brutal finishers, designed to do only one thing on the pitch – score goals.
Today, another striker is gradually carving his name on that elite list, perhaps to become greater than others who have come before him.
His name is Erling Haaland.
With the start of a new campaign (2023/2024 season) across top leagues in Europe, football fans are poised to enjoy every bit of the action from the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga, and French Ligue 1.
Arguably regarded as the biggest league in the world, the English Premier League kicked off with one of the newly promoted sides, Burnley facing last season’s red-hot treble winners, Manchester City.
By every indication, it was not the kind of ‘welcome back’ Burnley would have envisaged as they were thumped 3-0 right in their stadium.
Expectedly, the Champions proved too much for the newcomers who could only manage just one shot on goal, plus a red card for their troubles.
But in the end, it was a Haaland-machine show.
Remember when I talked about brutal finishers and lethal goal poachers? Yes, the 23-year-old Haaland showed why he is gradually becoming the most lethal finisher in the world. Scoring two clinical goals, Haaland continued from where he left off last season: tormenting defenders and giving goalkeepers nightmares.
With just two goals down, perhaps Burnley’s coach and former City legend, Vincent Kompany would have been plotting a shocking back-from-the-dead comeback. But when City’s midfielder, Rodri lashed the ball inside the net to make it 3-0 in the second half, Kompany knew the night was over.
Over to the next plan, Kompany. Not all welcome parties are truly welcoming.
The action continues on Saturday, 12th August with the invigorated Arsenal facing off against Nottingham Forest in the first game of the day.
What are your predictions?
©emmyebimoh
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