Pep Guardiola said that for Haaland the trophy for the club is more important than the Ballon d'Or

Erling Haaland is regarded as one of the prime contenders for the Ballon d'Or this year, alongside Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and others. Recently, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher expressed his opinion on what the Norwegian must do to clinch football's most prestigious individual accolade. Here's what he wrote in his column for The Telegraph:

"If his sole ambition is to break scoring records, then he need not alter anything.

However, if he harbors serious aspirations to win the Ballon d'Or and play for Real Madrid, he may encounter challenges. He must elevate his game further to make a leap and challenge his counterpart for the title of the best player of his generation – Kylian Mbappe."

In response to this, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola weighed in. According to him, Haaland's primary goal is to secure more trophies for City, rather than personal accolades, including the Ballon d'Or. Ahead of the match against Luton Town, he stated:

"His [Haaland's] goal is not to win the Ballon d'Or. The goal is to win the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup, and he has achieved that.

Without him, what we won last season would have been impossible. Five titles. Without him, we wouldn't have had any chance. It would have been simply impossible.

He is a key player for us, and he will continue to progress. Considering his age and his desire, more matches, more experience. He has never participated in the latter stages of competitions in his career.

So that is his future. The same goes not only for Erling. Any player, even at 33, can improve until retirement. Everyone can get better."

Haaland enjoyed a remarkable debut season at Manchester City last year, tallying 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions. It appears unlikely that he will replicate such a feat this season, but City continues to vie for the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup.