Former City Defender: I Don't Know How to Stop Haaland
Hendry compared the Norwegian striker to Ronaldo and admitted he has no answer to the question of how to stop him.
Hendry compared the Norwegian striker to Ronaldo and admitted he has no answer to the question of how to stop him.
Erling Haaland, the 26-year-old Manchester City striker, continues to dominate football pitches, and the question of how to stop him remains unanswered. Former City defender Hendry, in an exclusive interview with Goal.com in collaboration with Bet442, openly admitted that he himself doesn't know how he would cope with the Norwegian goal machine.
When asked how to stop Haaland, Hendry replied bluntly: "I'll answer that, f*** knows!" This candid response perfectly captures the frustration Haaland causes defenders worldwide.
Hendry drew a parallel with his own experience in 1998 when he played against legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo, known as R9. "I'm not saying he's the modern-day Ronaldo, R9, not at all, but in a similar way, you have to think about what defenders think when they play against such players," he explained.
He specifically highlighted Arsenal defender Gabriel as a player who handles such challenges well. "You know how Arsenal defenders do it... Gabriel does it. He's class, Gabriel," said Hendry.
Describing the feeling when Haaland charges at a defender, Hendry was vivid: "I mean, Haaland coming at you at full speed, you'd think, 'a truck is coming.' And it was no different when I played against Ronaldo in '98."
Despite comparisons to great strikers like Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero, and Romario, Hendry believes Haaland is in a league of his own. "But Haaland is currently at the top on his own. He's unique," he emphasized.
When asked how he would personally try to stop him, Hendry admitted he would resort to old-school methods. "But I would try to wind him up. But that's old-school. I don't know if some players playing against Haaland are ready and physically strong enough. And you'd like to believe they'd get stuck in, try to outmuscle him, but then probably end up trying to wind him up and see if you can get a reaction that way," Hendry concluded.
Haaland recently played for Norway in the World Cup, further cementing his status as one of the most dangerous strikers today. The question of how to stop him will, it seems, remain unanswered for a long time.
