Is he the greatest Premier League goalscorer of all time?
Erling Haaland has continued his remarkable start to the season, scoring another two goals in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday. The Norwegian striker has now tallied 26 goals for both club and country this season, with 13 of those coming in just 10 Premier League matches. Earlier in the season, his astounding performance earned him high praise from Pep Guardiola, who remarked, “His numbers are insane. We joke about it, but they truly are incredible. He’s an essential player for us, always creating chances, and you get this feeling that he can score anytime.”
Since making his debut with Molde in Norway, Haaland has been a prolific goalscorer, undeniably the best in his generation. The 25-year-old has shattered records at RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, and on the international stage with Norway. Since moving to England in 2022, he has scored 141 goals in 159 games, boasting a phenomenal record since joining the Premier League. With 98 league goals already in Manchester, if he manages to score two more in his next 16 matches, he will break Alan Shearer’s record for the fastest 100 Premier League goals in history.
Erling Haaland: Unbelievable Premier League Start Record
Haaland’s brace against Bournemouth brings his season total to 13 goals in just 10 league matches—more than double that of the next highest players (Danny Welbeck, Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago, and Jean-Philippe Mateta, each with six). Remarkably, this total isn’t even his best start in a Premier League season; he scored an astonishing 15 goals in his first 10 matches during the 2022/23 season. The graphic below highlights that Haaland has netted an incredible 50 goals in just 40 games across the first 10 matchdays in his four Premier League seasons.
This averages out to an impressive 1.25 goals per game, a strike rate unmatched by any other player in the league’s history. Haaland’s striking prowess has propelled Manchester City to two league titles and Champions League success. The upcoming months will be intriguing to watch, as he attempts to maintain such a prolific scoring rate throughout the remainder of the season—a challenge he’s faced in previous campaigns. In the first six games this season, he netted 28 goals in 18 matches, averaging 1.56 goals per game, but his rate has dropped to 0.7 goals per game during the latter parts of the past three seasons.
