Pep Guardiola backs Erling Haaland to beat Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League record following Man City's win over Napoli

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has backed Erling Haaland to surpass Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to become the Champions League's greatest goalscorer. 

The Citizens kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Napoli at the Etihad Stadium thanks to goals from Haaland and Jeremy Doku.

As a result of his effort, Haaland became the quickest player to reach 50 Champions League goals, reaching the milestone in just 49 appearances. 

Guardiola heaped praise on his prolific striker following his record-breaking night, insisting it is "unbelievable" for him to achieve such a feat.

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Guardiola backs Haaland to break Champions League record

“What can I say? The numbers speak for themselves," Guardiola told reporters after Thursday's match. "We are lucky to have him."

"Just to congratulate him, because he’s alongside goalscorers like [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Robert] Lewandowski, but especially the two monsters Cristiano and Messi for 20 years, for Erling to be there is unbelievable.”

Guardiola was clear in his answer when asked whether Haaland can surpass Messi and Ronaldo to become the Champions League's all-time record goalscorer.

“In that rhythm, yeah,” Guardiola said. “He’s not injured, he could play for 10 or 12 more years, and if he maintains this progression, absolutely.”

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How many goals does Haaland need to break Ronaldo's record?

Haaland is currently in joint-ninth position with Thierry Henry in the Champions League all-time top scorers list, with six goals separating him from Van Nistelrooy in eighth. 

The Norwegian is also just seven goals away from Thomas Muller and Kylian Mbappe, although the latter will continue to add to his tally in the years to come.

As it stands, Lewandowski, Messi and Ronaldo are the only players who have broken the 100-goal mark in the Champions League.

Barcelona's Lewandowski currently has 105 goals to his name, while Messi netted 129 goals in 163 Champions League appearances during his time with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Haaland needs 90 more goals to match Ronaldo, who is leading the way as the competition's record scorer after racking up 140 goals in 183 UCL matches across his spells at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.