Former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart has admitted that Erling Haaland leaves him utterly baffled, despite acknowledging the Manchester City striker's place among the greatest of all time.
Van der Vaart, who shared pitches with world-class talent during spells at Real Madrid, Tottenham and the Dutch national team, offered a strikingly honest assessment of the paradox that defines Haaland's career.
Speaking to AceOdds.com, the former midfielder wrestled openly with the challenge of placing Haaland within the broader pantheon of elite strikers.
"For me, it is very tough to say whether you are the best or one of the best strikers of all time when talking about Erling Haaland," he said. "Also, it is so difficult to analyse a striker like him. I will explain to you why, because when I see him for a whole game, I am watching him and I think to myself 8 out of 10 times that the guy can't play football at all."
Van der Vaart pointed to Norway's World Cup victory over Brazil as the perfect illustration of a phenomenon he has witnessed repeatedly. Haaland scored twice in that Round of 16 tie.
"When I watched the first half against Brazil, he didn't touch the ball. I went to sleep, and I woke up seeing that he scored two goals. He didn't touch one ball in the first half!"
The Dutchman was similarly candid on whether he would personally rank Haaland as the finest striker in the world.
"Will I personally say he is the best striker? No, because I like strikers who can do a lot of things with the ball, but his numbers, his mental strength and his power… Of course, you have to mention him as one of the best also of all time but it is difficult to explain when talking about a player like him."
Van der Vaart concluded with a personal anecdote that will resonate with anyone who has struggled to reconcile what they see with what Haaland produces.
"When I watch him play when I am with my wife, I always say to her, look at him, he lost the ball again, but then she says to me that he scored two times, and I just don't know what to say. Of course, I am super jealous that he is not Dutch."
He compared Haaland to former Bayern Munich forward Roy Makaay — a player who did not always contribute heavily to the flow of a game but was a "crazy finisher."
"He reminds me a bit of Roy Makaay. He was like that too; he did not really contribute to the game, but he was a crazy finisher. It is a big quality, and I respect him a lot."
Haaland has scored seven goals across the World Cup to date, including two against Brazil in the Round of 16. For City supporters and Enzo Maresca's coaching staff, the conversation around Haaland's footballing identity is one they have long since made peace with. His scoring record at the Etihad makes the philosophical question of what he contributes between goals largely irrelevant to those whose job it is to win matches.
Whether Haaland adds a World Cup winner's medal to his collection in North America remains to be seen, but van der Vaart's assessment — warm, honest and openly contradictory — captures better than most the singular mystery of one of football's most compelling figures.