>
Having played just eight Premier League games, Erling Haaland has long-established and established domestic goalscoring records in his sights.
His 14 goals, at a rate of 1.75 per game, make this by far the fastest start to a league season by a player in the modern era in this country. Let alone by a player new to the league and country.
In addition, his three hat-tricks to date – all in his last three home games at the Etihad – make him the fastest ever player in Premier League history. Michael Owen held the record and took 48 games for him.
Erling Haaland has beaten everything for him since he arrived in the Premier League this summer
The raw statistics show what makes a mockery of the Premier League Haaland at the moment.
Jamie Carragher said Monday night the Norwegian was on defenders’ ‘minds’ before suggesting that ‘anything is possible with Haaland’.
Well, that may be the case. Sportsmail walks you through all the records, from fair to bizarre, that Haaland could potentially topple in the not-too-distant future.
One-time boy wonder Michael Owen held the record for fewest matches to score three Premier League hat-tricks
Salah’s Premier League season record – 32 goals
Mohamed Salah, who had been knocked out by Chelsea, returned to the Premier League with a vengeance after rebuilding his career at AS Roma.
In his first real season in England, Salah broke through for him, scoring 32 league goals as Liverpool finally began to look like a force to be reckoned with, both domestically and in Europe.
His season was most notable for his performances in Europe, leading Liverpool to their first Champions League final since 2007, but his standings saw him place himself above Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez in the most prolific Premier League season of all time. 38 games ever.
Haaland could surpass his record in 20 games.
Mohamed Salah could soon see his 38 Premier League goalscoring record improve
If the Manchester City forward continues to score at his current rate of 1.75 goals per game, Salah’s record could be gone by the time the champions travel to Manchester United on January 14.
No one needs to be reminded of what Haaland did to Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in their most recent match.
Even if we factor in some sort of second half slowdown, Haaland could have set the record by the time the Champions League rolls back around in February.
His lack of attendance at this winter’s World Cup, in which Norway failed to qualify, is unlikely to diminish his pursuit of Salah.
Last season’s golden boot – 23 goals
Shared between Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Liverpool’s Salah, the two forwards both enjoyed excellent seasons to claim the Golden Boot last season.
Speaking after his hat-trick in Norwich on the last day that ensured he would win the award, Son said it was one of the proudest moments of his life and something he’d dreamed of since he was a child.
It would seem a bit absurd for Haaland to give a similar interview after seven more games, but at his current pace, that’s all the time it takes him to top last season’s golden boot.
Haaland needed just nine more goals to equal the record and could potentially surpass it ahead of the World Cup, which starts on November 20.
Son Heung-min was emotional after sharing the golden boot last season – Haaland could have quickly outnumbered the South Korean
All-time Premier League goalscoring record – 260 goals
There has been much debate over whether Alan Shearer’s record of 260 goals can ever be broken. The former Newcastle-England forward’s last goal in the competition came on 17 April 2006, fittingly against Sunderland.
Haaland’s arrival and his start in the Premier League have left supporters wondering if it’s a matter of when, not if.
Should he continue to hit the back of the net with his astonishing speed, Shearer’s record will be matched within 141 games. A little less than four seasons in total.
It took Shearer 441 games in 14 years to reach his final score, reaching a rate of 0.59 per game by the time the curtain fell on his career. Harry Kane, currently the most likely candidate to break Shearer’s record, has scored his 190 Premier League goals in 290 appearances at a rate of 0.66.
It has long been debated whether a player will ever reach Alan Shearer’s record of 260 Premier League goals
Shearer was plagued with injuries, especially in the 1990s and early 2000s, which hampered some of his seasons, something that does not seem unthinkable for Haaland given his troubles at Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund.
However, City, as Pep Guardiola said last week, have managed his injury record superbly thus far. To ensure he remained injury free, the club sent a physio with him during the most recent international match to monitor his fitness while he was away from Norway.
They take every step to make sure their main man gets all the chances he needs to get as close to as many records as possible.
Manchester City’s all-time top scorer
One of Sergio Aguero’s crowning moments in a Manchester City shirt was surpassing Eric Brook’s 78-year record as the best goalscorer ever.
Aguero, with a goal against Napoli in the Champions League, ran for Brook’s a week later.
City fans may have some uncertainty about Haaland going by the club’s favorite son, but it could soon become a reality.
Aguero finished his career at City with 260 goals in all competitions, meaning he will top it at his current pace with 142 goals.
Sergio Aguero’s 260 goals for Manchester City put him at the top of the club’s top scorer list
Messi’s record-breaking LaLiga season – 50 goals
In 2011/12 Lionel Messi had the best season of his stellar career on a personal level.
The unfortunate thing for the Argentinian was that Barcelona couldn’t take home the two biggest trophies as they relinquished the league crown to Jose Mourinho’s resurgent Real Madrid side and were spectacularly knocked out of Europe by Roberto Di Matteo’s rear-guard action at Chelsea.
Guardiola says Messi is the best player he has ever coached, an elusive fact that Haaland is unlikely to be able to touch. However, he could rise further on the Catalan’s stellar list of coached players by coming close to Messi’s league goalscoring record.
Haaland would top the number with games left at his current pace – nine to be exact.
The Argentinian scored seven hat-tricks that season, Haaland was able to equal that figure after 15 games.
Lionel Messi (R) had a prodigious season in 2011-12, scoring 50 goals in league alone
English goalscoring record for one season – 60 goals
A statistic that has survived virtually all major events in modern history. Dixie Dean’s 60-goal season for Everton in 1927/28 came to a close just two years after the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, 11 years before the start of World War II and 72 years before Haaland was born.
Any stats that Haaland has in his vision would be an incredible feat for him to surpass or match, but this one would etch him into the fabric of English football for millennia.
Haaland may not even know who Dean was, but if he needs to be briefed on his track record, it seems unlikely the ambitious Norwegian won’t try to challenge him. He needs 35 games at his 1.75 pace to match Dean. Only 36 games to surpass the legendary Everton forward.
Many wondered if Haaland would adjust quickly to life in the Premier League after a rocky start to life in the Community Shield against Liverpool in late July. How ridiculous those doubts look now.
Injury free, why can’t he challenge one of English football’s most prized records?
Haaland aims to break Dixie Dean’s record for most goals in a single English season of 60 – a record that has been in place since 1928