Rafael van der Vaart has heavily criticized Manchester City, suggesting that if Erling Haaland fails to score, he becomes somewhat ineffective for Pep Guardiola’s squad. Van der Vaart contends that it’s time for Guardiola to consider benching Haaland and opting for Julian Alvarez instead, following what he described as a “very poor” performance in Manchester City’s 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu.

Following Erling Haaland’s lackluster display in Manchester City’s 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu, former Tottenham and Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart didn’t hold back his criticism.

Haaland’s performance during the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal was underwhelming.

He struggled against Antonio Rudiger’s physicality, remained quiet, and failed to impact the game significantly. The Norwegian managed only 20 touches, one shot on goal, no successful dribbles, and seven possession losses.

Van der Vaart, who amassed 171 goals in 538 games throughout his career, didn’t mince his words when assessing Haaland’s performance.

Speaking on Ziggo Sport, the Dutchman labeled Haaland’s performance as “extremely terrible” and criticized his overall contribution to the game. He remarked, “Erling Haaland was extremely awful. He is really worthless if he doesn’t score. He is, in my opinion, a pretty mediocre ball player.”

Despite Haaland’s struggles, the match between City and Real Madrid delivered an enthralling six-goal spectacle.

While Bernardo Silva gave City an early lead within the first two minutes, Real Madrid responded with a goal from Ruben Dias to equalize before taking the lead with Rodrygo’s header.