Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger believes that Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Arsenal’s William Saliba are the only centre-backs capable of stopping Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. Haaland, who has already scored 10 goals this Premier League season and an incredible 101 goals in 107 games since arriving in England, is known for his physical dominance and clinical finishing.
Rudiger, who has faced Haaland four times with Real Madrid, admits that dealing with the 24-year-old forward is a huge challenge due to his immense strength and power. Speaking to The Inside Scoop, Rudiger explained that while he enjoys physical battles with players like Haaland, stopping him is no easy task.
“I think I’m more of an old-school defender who loves this battle with strikers, especially with strikers like him [Haaland] because that guy is an absolute beast,” Rudiger said. “I don’t know what he eats or what he does, but he’s… wow, the power he has.”
Rudiger went on to praise the way Van Dijk and Saliba have handled Haaland in recent matches, noting that their physical presence allows them to compete with the Norwegian striker. “The ones I’ve seen in the last couple of years is Virgil [Van Dijk], who is the same size as him, that’s a good match-up, and I have to say Saliba also did very well,” Rudiger added.
Haaland’s ability to dominate in the air and make powerful runs behind defenders makes him a nightmare for most players. Rudiger, however, stressed the importance of being physically prepared when facing someone of Haaland’s calibre.
Asked about the toughest opponent he’s ever faced, Rudiger surprisingly named former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero as the player who gave him the most trouble. “For me, the striker who gave me a lot of headaches was Kun Aguero. That guy was really tough to play against, really, really tough,” Rudiger said.
While acknowledging that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in a league of their own, Rudiger’s respect for Aguero shows just how challenging some of the Premier League’s top forwards can be—even for one of the world’s best defenders.
As Haaland continues to break records, defenders like Van Dijk and Saliba will need to stay at their best to keep the Norwegian goal machine at bay.
