Colin Hendry Struggles to Find a Way to Stop Erling Haaland, Compares Him to Ronaldo

Former Manchester City defender Colin Hendry shared his thoughts on how he might try to contain Erling Haaland, but admitted the striker poses an almost unsolvable problem. Speaking exclusively with GOAL, Hendry acknowledged Haaland's unique threat as one of the world's top forwards.

Haaland’s Goal Record for Manchester City

Among Premier League defenders, Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes is known for coming closest to managing Haaland after numerous fierce encounters. Still, even Gabriel has had to admit moments of humility when facing him.

• Premier League goals: 112
• Total goals for City: 162
• Appearances: 198
• Golden Boots: 3
• Part of: Treble-winning team in 2022-23

Long-Term Commitment at Etihad

Manchester City secured Haaland on a remarkable 10-year deal running until 2034. This contract means he'll likely continue to dominate the Premier League for many more years, despite interest from major clubs like Real Madrid, which he has turned down so far.

Haaland aims to win more trophies with City and regain Ballon d’Or consideration by maintaining his extraordinary level.

How Do You Stop Haaland?

With the 26-year-old showing no signs of slowing after his World Cup debut with Norway, the question remains: does Haaland have any weaknesses?

“I’ll answer that, f*ck knows! You know how the Arsenal centre defenders... Gabriel does it. He’s a class act Gabriel. If anything, I would just try and rumble him up,” said Hendry.“I’ve spoken before about ’98 and Ronaldo, and would I use some sort of comparison to that? I didn’t actually try and rumble him up, but I wanted to go out and play to the best of my ability and test myself. And it wouldn’t be any different against the likes of Haaland.”“I’m not saying he’s a modern-day Ronaldo, R9, I’m not saying that at all, but in a similar fashion, you’ve got to think about what centre-backs think when playing against these sort of guys.“I mean, Haaland running full pelt into you, you’d think, ‘it’s a juggernaut coming.’ And it wasn’t unlike when I did play in ’98 against Ronaldo. But Haaland, he’s out there on his own at the minute. He’s a one-off.“You have [Luis] Suarez, [Sergio] Aguero, Romario, that type. There’s a few of them from down the years. I don’t really think there is another Haaland that would put the frighteners on defenders as he does.“But, I would try and wind him up. But that’s old-school. I don’t know if some of the players that play against Haaland are as fit and as physical. And you would like to think that they would go in on that, try and take him on head-on with his strengths, but then probably end up trying to wind him up and see if you can get a reaction that way.”

Haaland's Upcoming Season With City

Erling Haaland has resumed training ahead of the 2026-27 season under new manager Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola. He is expected to feature in the Community Shield match against Arsenal in Cardiff on August 16, before City begin their Premier League campaign hosting Bournemouth on August 23.

• Community Shield fixture: Arsenal vs Manchester City
• Date: August 16, 2026
• Kick-off time: 16:00
• Premier League opener: Manchester City vs Bournemouth, August 23, 2026