Erling Haaland’s private message to Pep Guardiola after he was subbed off

Erling Haaland was the hero for Manchester City on a night when he scored five goals to level a Champions League record.

But like all great strikers, the Norwegian wanted more. And were it not for Pep Guardiola’s precautious forward thinking, he probably would have got them.

Haaland was simply unstoppable as a rampant City ripped RB Leipzig to shreds at the Etihad to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition they so desperately want to win. But Guardiola stopped Haaland breaking a record held by Lionel Messi for more than a decade when he substituted him after 66 minutes.

Though Haaland was sure to bring it up with his manager.

City’s passage to the next round had arguably been sealed by half-time, by which point Haaland had already netted a hat-trick. But if there was any hope Leipzig could mount a second-half comeback, it quickly evaporated when the 21-year-old bagged his fourth and fifth goals within the space of four minutes, after Ilkay Gundogan had already extended City’s lead further.

With five goals next to his name on the scoresheet, Guardiola decided it was time to begin preparations for the weekend’s FA Cup clash with Burnley, as he withdrew Haaland, much to the striker’s disappointment as he lay tied with the record five-goal hauls of Messi and Luiz Adriano.

Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Haaland revealed: “I told him [Guardiola] when I went off ‘I would love to score a double hat-trick’… but, what can you do! I had to come off.”

Haaland had got his first from the penalty spot after a dubious handball on 22 minutes, but wasted little time bagging his second just 78 seconds later when he headed in after Kevin De Bruyne’s shot thundered back off the bar.

He sealed his hat-trick with an unorthodox finish off his knee after a Leipzig player had failed to clear off the line, before smashing home two rebounds early in the second half to complete his set.

“It was five in 60 minutes, no more than that,” Guardiola said after the match. ‘”If he played 90 minutes maybe he would [have scored more], I don’t know. He’s an incredible guy, the power and mentality is that of a serial winner – really good.”