Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak (Photo by Michael Regan, Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has aimed a subtle dig at Liverpool’s record-breaking new signing Alexander Isak by insisting that Erling Haaland is still slightly above him.
The Reds splashed out a British record transfer fee to sign Isak from Newcastle United this summer, but it seems Guardiola doesn’t agree that he’s the best striker in the world.
Arne Slot talked Isak up as being the best, and this was then put to Guardiola in his press conference today.
See the video clip below as Guardiola clearly didn’t agree with Slot as he still felt Haaland deserved to be above Isak…
? Pep Guardiola when asked about Alexander Isak – “I wouldn’t swap Erling Haaland with anybody!” ? pic.twitter.com/3ppgOvqPd5
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) September 12, 2025
The Spanish tactician went on to say that he knew football was just a game of opinions, so he acknowledged that others would probably say Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo are the best.
Still, he also insisted he wouldn’t swap Haaland for anyone.
Alexander Isak vs Erling Haaland – who’s got the better statistics?
Stats alone will never fully answer questions like this, but it’s interesting to take a look at the numbers anyway.
See below for a graphic from DataMB comparing the strengths and weaknesses of Haaland and Isak last season, and it clearly shows two very different styles of centre-forward…
Haaland is ahead of Isak with his aerial threat, but they’re very similar on touches in the box and non-penalty goals.
Still, Isak seems more well-rounded as a creator due to his expected assists, while he also has a slightly higher conversion rate.
In terms of goals last season, Haaland does indeed come out on top…
| Player 2024/25 | Games | Goals |
| Erling Haaland | 48 | 34 |
| Alexander Isak | 42 | 27 |
It will be interesting to see how they compare after this season, as Isak will now obviously be playing in a better team now that he’s at Liverpool.
That should in theory give him more opportunities to score, as the Reds will dominate games and create chances more than Newcastle did, but of course football doesn’t always follow a logical path like that.
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