Erling Haaland was nicknamed a “monster” and a “beast” after he smashed the scoring record by a Premier League player in one season as Manchester City thrashed Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The 22-year-old Norway striker fired in City’s third in their 3-0 quarter-final first-leg win to reach another benchmark in his debut season in English football.
That was his 45th goal for City this season, in just his 39th appearance, a record for a Premier League player in all competitions.
This was his sixth goal in eight games against German champions Bayern, having faced them often with Borussia Dortmund, but he had never beaten them before.
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“Every team has to dread this player because he is basically a beast. He is a beast, congrats to Manchester City for signing him,” former Bayern and Germany striker Mario Gomez told BT Sport.
Haaland only touched the ball 28 times, fewer than any other starting player for either club.
“He is the most efficient striker I have ever seen. His ability to score goals is extraordinary “Owen Hargreaves, a former England midfielder who played for Bayern and City, made this statement.
Joleon Lescott, a former City defender, continued: “He is distinct. Knowing that you can enter an area and Haaland will connect must be wonderful for wide players.”
For the Treble contenders this season, Haaland has also provided six assists, including one in this match when he crossed for Bernardo Silva to make it 2-0.
Former United striker Dion Dublin commented on BBC Radio 5 Live: “He did so much work for other players in the game.
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When City scored three goals, “He was never going to be off the scoresheet when City score three goals.”
What is latest Haaland record?
Since the invention of the Premier League in 1992-93, no player has scored 45 goals in all competitions… until now.
Ruud van Nistelrooy hit 44 goals for Manchester United in 2002-03 and Mohamed Salah did the same for Liverpool in 2017-18.
Dutch striker Van Nistelrooy and Egyptian Salah both took 52 games to hit those 44. Haaland broke their record despite playing 13 games fewer.
Salah did it in his first year at Liverpool, but he had previously played in England for Chelsea. Van Nistelrooy managed it in his second season with United.
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Haaland was born in Leeds, but he went to Norway when he was three years old, and up until this season, he had never played in England.
He has scored a broader range of goals than the others, with 28 goals coming with his favorite left foot. Salah scored 36 of his with his left foot, with 33 of Van Nistelrooy’s coming from his right.
Haaland has netted 10 with his right foot and seven with his head. Salah managed six and two respectively, with four left-footed goals and seven headers for Van Nistelrooy.
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None of Van Nistelrooy’s goals came from outside the box, with Haaland only doing it once – yet Salah scored five.
Penalties come in a wide variety. Salah only has one goal that season, whereas Haaland has six, and Van Nistelrooy scored a staggering 12.
The last English top-flight player to score more in a season was Clive Allen of Tottenham in 1986-87, when he tallied 49 goals in all competitions for Tottenham.
Haaland surpasses his previous highest goalscoring season with 45 goals. In 2019-20 he netted a total of 44 goals, 28 for Salzburg and 16 for Dortmund.
This was also a personal best for him as it was his 11th Champions League goal of the year. Only Van Nistelrooy (12 in that 2002-03 season) has ever scored more for a Premier League side.
Just a month ago, Haaland surpassed the club record for goals scored in a season, which he has subsequently expanded.
Tommy Johnson’s 38 goals in 1928-29 had been the club record for 94 years.
What other records is he capable of setting?
Haaland, who is now one of just 12 players to score 30 goals in a Premier League season, will undoubtedly surpass the previous high in the near future.
The mark is 34; it was set by Andy Cole in 1993–1994 and Alan Shearer the following year, both in the days of 42 games.
He is only two goals short of Salah’s mark of 32 goals in 38 games established in 2017–18.
Nine Premier League games remain for Haaland to break these records.
Of course football did not begin in 1992 and there are records that even Haaland will struggle to surpass.
Dixie Dean scored 60 top-flight goals, and 63 in all competitions, for Everton, in 1927-28 – both records to this day.
To break that initial record, Haaland would have to score nine goals in the last nine games, matching his entire Premier League goal total.
Yet if City go all the way in the Champions League and FA Cup he would have another 15 games to get the 18 goals needed to break Dean’s record for all competitions.
He can probably also forget about Lionel Messi’s stats from 2011 to 2012 in the continent’s other top divisions. The Argentine scored 73 goals overall and 50 goals in La Liga for Barcelona that season.
Haaland has now scored more goals in the Champions League than the 10 required to win the 2020–21 golden boot, but he still needs a couple more to tie Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013–14 record of 17 goals.
