The Norwegian striker has increased his tally to 30 goals in the Premier League (44 in all competitions) this season, scoring a brace in a 4-1 victory over Southampton. Haaland has now become the third player to score 30 or more goals in his debut season in the Premier League, joining the ranks of Andy Cole and Kevin Phillips. With just nine matches remaining in the season, Haaland is only five goals away from surpassing the records set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, who scored 34 goals each in a single Premier League season (1993-1994 and 1994-1995, respectively).
In his budding career, Haaland has already scored 200 goals in 244 games. While this number pales in comparison to the impressive goal tallies of Messi and Ronaldo, who have scored over 800 goals each in their illustrious careers, Haaland has the advantage of time on his side. With more than a decade ahead of him, he has the opportunity to establish himself as the successor to the superstar status left by the two football legends. Pep Guardiola, who coached Messi for four years at Barcelona, believes that Haaland, signed for £53 million from Borussia Dortmund, possesses qualities reminiscent of the superstar duo who have dominated world football for nearly two decades.
Guardiola remarked, “It takes a lot of effort to reach the level of Cristiano and Messi. They have never suffered serious injuries. Erling is a very tall and big player, so he requires a lot of care from the medical staff. But ever since I met Erling, he has shown a strong commitment. He has the right mindset. Erling is professional in both his personal life and on the pitch. I’ve observed his reaction when he misses a goal, even in training. He gets frustrated for a brief moment, but then quickly refocuses on his job. Erling puts pressure on himself, just like Messi and Ronaldo. When he doesn’t score two or three goals in a game, he always asks himself, ‘What’s the problem? What’s the problem?’ The number of goals he has scored at his age is truly remarkable!”