Sesko downplays Haaland comparisons - Rejected Man United to join Leipzig
There is no way of escaping the comparisons between Manchester City star striker Erling Haaland and RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko. Both played for Red Bull Salzburg before heading to the Bundesliga. Both are tall and prolific strikers. But speaking to a roundtable ahead of Leipzig’s Champions League home fixture against Man City next week, Sesko was quick to downplay those comparisons. The comparisons between Haaland and Sesko were one big topic during the roundtable; another discussion point was why Sesko ultimately turned down Manchester United and moved to the Bundesliga instead.
But before we chatted about his transfer, it was all about Haaland, and Sesko was quick to describe his admiration for the Norwegian striker. “I mean, you are comparing me to someone who is one of the best players in the world,” the 20-year-old Slovenian said when asked about being compared to Haaland. “I am my own player. The only thing that makes us kind of comparable is the height. But we have a very different style of play. I like him as a player, but I don’t like to compare myself to anyone; I just want to be myself.”
The comparisons are indeed a bit unfair. Anyone watching the two players knows that they are fundamentally quite different. While Haaland is more direct and powerful, Sesko is more dynamic and technical in his approach. Then, there is also the fact that Haaland’s rise at Salzburg was far more meteoric. Although he made his debut in 2018/19, Haaland managed his breakthrough the following season, scoring an incredible 29 goals in 27 games across all competitions for Salzburg.
Sesko vs Haaland - “You have to say he is one of the best"
Haaland quickly outgrew Austria and joined Dortmund through the 2019/20 campaign. The same can’t quite be said about Sesko. The Slovenian wasn’t as prolific to start his career and scored just five goals and three assists in 24 Austrian Bundesliga games during the 2021/22 season. That wouldn't stop people from making the comparison anyhow, especially after Sesko scored several highlight real goals for both Salzburg and Slovenia. The international media quickly narrowed in on the Haaland comparisons. Salzburg had done it again; they had found another wunderkind striker most of the headlines alluded to at the time.
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“Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy," Sesko has said in the past when compared to Haaland. "They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn so I can be even better than he is. My teammates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him!”
Confronted with the quotes and the Haaland comparisons now, Sesko was quick to downplay what was said in the past. “If you look at the results and the statistics, then you have to say he is one of the best,” Sesko said. “Maybe I have some qualities in which I am better. But that’s mostly talk among teammates at practice, and, in general, we have a very different type of playing style.”
Sesko turned down Man Utd to join RB Leipzig
Nonetheless, the Haaland comparisons were out there, and several Premier League clubs were interested, first and foremost, Manchester United. “The thing is, I was not really into that kind of conversation,” Sesko said when confronted with Man Utd’s interest in signing him. “But I think, yeah, I think it was better just to come here,” Sesko added.
Instead, Sesko opted to remain within the Red Bull system, becoming the 20th player to move from Salzburg to Leipzig. In fact, Leipzig secured the striker already last summer, leaving him in Salzburg for one more season, where he scored 16 goals and four assists in 30 Austrian Bundesliga games. “It was really important for me to go to a place that was playing a similar style of football,” Sesko said when asked about choosing Leipzig over other clubs. “I already knew what to do and didn’t have to go through an entire learning process again." Indeed, Sesko has hit the ground running in Germany scoring three goals in six games across all competition for Leipzig this season. Extremely dangerous off the bench, Sesko has scored every 58 minutes for the Red Bulls this campaign.
The goals will add further to the rumor mill linking the Slovenian with a move to England and even though the 20-year-old is fully focused on Leipzig, Sesko didn’t rule out a Premier League move in the future. “It would be nice to play there,” Sesko said. “But first of all, let’s focus on the right now, and we’ll see later.”
