Erling Haaland is slowly turning into a living, breathing Manchester City legend as he just keeps on breaking records and making the impossible possible on the pitch. It seems with each passing game, the Norwegian forward raised his bar once more, and the recent one against Arsenal was no exception. At an age of just 24 years old and already smashing historic marks, Haaland still keeps amazing the soccer world.
Follow Playing for 90 on X (Twitter).
The match between Manchester City and Arsenal ended 2-2, and interestingly, the opening goal by Haaland came just nine minutes into the game-and what a goal that was. It was his 100th for City, reached in only 105 games. For perspective, Cristiano Ronaldo took the same number of games to score 100 goals at Real Madrid. That is the greatness we are seeing from Haaland.
It wasn't just the result of the game, that being the 2-2 draw, but a show on the strength of Arsenal, and at the same time, an introduction to how insatiable Haaland has been through this length of time in English soccer. Up to this day, against better competition as well, the Norwegian is still the man for Guardiola in key situations.
History-breaking: Haaland
What Haaland has done in the shortest period of time-100 goals for City-puts him in league with the greatest the sport has ever seen. To put this into perspective, Sergio Agüero, Manchester City's all-time top scorer, needed 158 matches to reach a similar number. Haaland, in his second full season, is already making his mark with numbers so staggering.
And that is not all: this season, Haaland has already scored 10 goals in just five Premier League games-double what anyone else has achieved thus far. He even managed to outdo the record of former Coventry City forward Mick Quinn, who required six matches to reach that number of goals at the start of a season.
For instance, judging by the stats, he averages over a goal per game in arguably the world's most competitive league, having scored 73 goals in 71 Premier League outings-a scoring ratio outstripping the records of other recent Premier League big hitters, such as Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, and even his former City teammate Sergio Agüero. Being Huge on Big Stages: Champions League and Beyond
Other than his monstrous three-headed dominance in the Premier League, he has never been shy in international and domestic competitions either. He has scored 18 in the Champions League with City, while adding another eight goals in the FA Cup. His five in the Champions League against RB Leipzig and another five in the FA Cup against Luton Town stand out among the many brilliant performances from last season.
These stats put Haaland in a bracket that not many can reach, and he is only 24 years old. Performances outside the league have shown that he is not a "league goal scorer" but a forward who is incredibly skilled on any stage.
Haaland's style of play: precise and versatile
The most salient feature about Haaland, though, is his versatility. Of the 100 goals he scored for Manchester City, 73 have been from his left foot, 14 from his right, and a dozen headers. This shows how he can be lethal in every situation, whether finishing with poise on the ground or in the air.
Surprisingly, Wolverhampton has been the team to suffer most from his prowess as the forward has scored eight times against them. What is even more impressive is that no team in the Premier League has escaped his wrath. Every team to have faced City since his arrival in 2022 has witnessed Haaland score against them. He has made no one safe.
That lethal finishing becomes even more dangerous when he is paired with Kevin De Bruyne. Since their arrivals at City, De Bruyne has assisted Haaland 20 times, creating one of the most dangerous partnerships in the Premier League in recent years.
Comparisons to Manchester City legends
Now, with 100 goals, Haaland joins the selected few who have passed a century at Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne, who reached his own 100-goal milestone in recent weeks, is the only other current player to have attained such a mark. Of course, he still has some distance to go to catch up with Sergio Agüero, whose 260 goals represent the club's all-time record.
Great scorers have always made a part of City's history. Besides Agüero, some other names considered to be amongst the top legends of the club are Eric Brook-177 goals, Tommy Johnson-166, and Colin Bell-153-. Haaland has already made a name for himself as one of those legends, and it won't be surprising to see him challenge these records in the next few years.