34 goals & counting
Erling Haaland continues to write Premier League history. On Saturday, the Norwegian striker scored his 34th Premier League goal, equalizing the record held by Andy Cole (1993/94) and Alan Shearer (1994/95). But while Cole and Shearer had 42 games for their goalscoring records, Haaland achieved his 34 goals in just 30 games, and there is little doubt that the 22-year-old will set a new record soon—perhaps as early as this Wednesday when Manchester City host West Ham United.
A glimpse at Haaland’s statistics underlines his remarkable run this season. The Norwegian has scored every 71 minutes in the Premier League. Furthermore, Haaland has also significantly improved on last season’s Bundesliga record, destroying the myth of the so-called Bundesliga tax. While Haaland scored “just” 0.91 goals per game for Dortmund in the Bundesliga last season, the striker’s goal tally is now up to 1.13 goals per game in the Premier League this season.
But Haaland’s remarkable goalscoring rate extends beyond the Premier League. His goal against Fulham on the weekend, in fact, was his 50th goal in just 44 games across all competitions. With 12 goals in just eight Champions League games, Haaland also leads that competition in scoring ahead of Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Kylian Mbappé (PSG). Both Salah and Mbappé are eliminated from the competition, and it is, therefore, likely that Haaland will win the UCL golden boot on top of the top goalscorer title in the Premier League
The most valuable Premier League players after the March 2023 update
Erling Haaland: Striker shows he is the missing piece for Man City
Earlier this season, some pundits suggest that Haaland was to blame for Man City’s spell of poor performances. But as pointed out on Transfermarkt TV, there was very little evidence that Haaland was actually the issue, and recent results further cement that point.
Haaland’s goal against Fulham also paved the way for Man City to reclaim first place from Arsenal. In fact, it now appears that Man City will once again stroll to the Premier League title, further underlining their stranglehold over the English topflight. City will now certainly walk to the Premier League title and should Pep Guardiola also win the Champions League, this will put an end to a debate that suggested that Haaland made City worse.
In fact, Haaland might be the missing piece for Guardiola to finally win the Champions League with Man City. Winning that title would cement Guardiola’s legacy not just in England but in European football. As for Haaland, could the striker be an early shout to win the Ballon d’Or next year? There is certainly a case to be made that Haaland is now the best no.9 in the world, taking over that mantle from Robert Lewandowski but to be deemed the best player in the world, City will have to beat Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Champions League and then go on to win the title.
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