Erling Haaland: Champions League Record-Breaker for Manchester City

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Champions League record-breaker - Manchester City's Erling Haaland.

Manchester City's Erling Haaland has taken just one season to set a new Premier League record of 35 goals in a single campaign to make a mockery of the idea that it takes time for new arrivals to settle in the English top flight.

Erling Haaland scored his 35th goal of the Premier League season — the most by a single player in any Premier League season – despite this being his first and despite him still being just 22 years of age.

In his rookie year, he has broken a record that had stood for nearly three decades. As a relative novice to English football, he has eclipsed two of its great goalscorers.

The Manchester City forward has been rewriting record books since he announced himself in the competition with a first-half hat-trick on his debut.

How many Champions League goals has Haaland scored?

Erling Haaland has scored 35 goals in just 27 UEFA Champions League appearances, rewriting the record books in the process.

He is still just 22 and in only his fourth campaign in the competition, the Norway striker is already 19th in the list of all-time Champions League scorers and having gone above the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Antoine Griezmann, Kaka, and Wayne Rooney, is now within sight of Edinson Cavani, Sergio Aguero and Alessandro Del Piero.

Early Stage of Haaland

Leeds-born Haaland burst onto the scene at Salzburg in 2019, becoming the first and so far only player to score a first-half hat-trick on his debut, in a 6-2 win against Genk.

He scored in his first five appearances in the Champions League (a record eight goals in all), becoming only the third man to achieve the feat after Alessandro Del Piero and Diego Costa.

Haaland departed for Dortmund after the 2019-20 group stage and two goals on his first Champions League appearance for the club took him to double figures in the competition – after a then-record seven games.

Haaland has since set similar marks for 15 goals (12 matches), 20 goals (14), and, following his move to Manchester City in the summer of 2022, 25 goals (20), 30 goals (25), and 35 goals (27); aged 22 years 272 days, he was also the youngest player to the latter mark.

How many goals has Haaland scored for Man City?

Haaland has scored 39 goals for Manchester City in all competitions this season.

Only 2 players have scored five goals at the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League - Lionel Messi against Bayer Leverkusen and Erling Haaland against RB Leipzig.

With five goals against Leizig, he broke the record for Tommy Johnson for most goals in a season. Tommy had 38 goals in the 1928-29 season.

What records does Erling Haaland have?

The record of being the quickest to 30 Champions League goals was previously held by Nistelrooy, who had achieved the feat in 34 games.

The youngest to that many goals, on the other hand, was held by Lionel Messi, who was 23 years and 131 days old when he had 30 goals to his name in the competition.

He is the first Premier League player to score five hat-tricks in a season since Harry Kane in 2016-17

Haaland has now scored more Champions League hat-tricks (2) than Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, and Wayne Rooney. He has now scored more Champions League goals (30) than Rooney, Antoine Griezmann, Samuel Eto'o, and Kaka.

Most goals scored in all competitions by a Premier League player in a single season

Haaland's acrobatic bicycle kick at Southampton saw him equal the record jointly held by Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy for most goals scored by a Premier League player in all competitions (43) before his goal at home to Bayern Munich saw him earn the record outright.

His prolific form has ensured he has continued to extend that record to 51 - with Dixie Dean's all-time top-flight record of 63 goals in his sights with eight games remaining - or nine if City reach the Champions League final.

Haaland said he would trade all of his goals for a historic treble with Manchester City, and he could still end up with the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup.

Whether those winners' medals arrive, though, he has already written himself into history with an incredible number of records that may never be beaten.