Which records can Erling Haaland STILL break this season?
Erling Haaland’s formidable debut in the Premier League reached new heights on Wednesday after the Norwegian behemoth shattered Alan Shearer’s 28-year-old record with his 35th goal of the season.
Finding the back of the net in Manchester City’s 3-0 win against West Ham, the striker’s teammates lined up to give him a guard of honor at the Etihad against the backdrop of a standing ovation from supporters, all fully aware that they each saw something exceptional.
To say that Haaland has a penchant for rewriting the history books is no understatement: his bombastic first season in England saw him break two records ahead of his last.
The 22-year-old slipped past hapless RB Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich five times in less than an hour during the return leg of both sides’ Champions League round of 16, which (of course) saw the Austrian side knocked out. as City’s treble chances began to blossom one March night at the Etihad.
Haaland is the third person in history to achieve this feat – only Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano have achieved that total in Europe’s most prestigious league.
Erling Haaland’s 35th goal of the season against West Ham on Wednesday saw him break Alan Shearer’s 28-year-old record – and in a campaign that saw 38, rather than 42, Premier League appearances
The Norwegian was treated to a guard of honor and a standing ovation by his teammates
Alan Shearer (left) and Andrew Cole (right) previously held the record for most goals scored in a Premier League season – before Haaland achieved the astonishing feat on Wednesday night
Earlier that night he was the club’s highest goalscorer in a single season, breaking Tommy Johnson’s 94-year-old record with his 39th goal of the season on Wednesday.
But with eight games left this season – and possibly nine if they reach the Champions League final – Mail Sport is assessing what other records Haaland could break in the 2022/23 season.
Most Champions League goals in one season (17)
As City set their sights on chasing an historic treble – which Haaland freely admits he would trade his Premier League goal to achieve – all eyes are on the league’s current single-season record.
It was set by Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2013-14 season, where the Portuguese star scored 17 goals during their successful European run.
He scored a penalty during the final against rivals Atletico Madrid where Los Blancos went on to win the game 4–1 after extra time.
Haaland currently has 12 in the league and has a chance to match – or even break – Ronaldo’s record.
But Haaland’s hopes depend on getting past their opponents in the semi-finals.
Should the Premier League team progress, the Norway international has just three games to find the back of the net on five occasions.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 17 goals during the 2013-14 Champions League campaign
A charmed evening at the Etihad saw Erling Haaland blast an incredible five goals past RB Leipzig
The goalscoring machine scored all five goals in an hour before being sent off in the 63rd minute
Most hat-tricks in a Premier League season (5)
The Norwegian has already racked up four Premier League hat-tricks since moving to the Etihad for £51 million this summer.
He has managed to score three times this season in games against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Wolves, coming close to the season record.
This is another set from Alan Shearer, in the 1995-1996 campaign, where the England talisman scored five hat-tricks.
With four hat-tricks scored so far, this record could be broken in Haaland’s last five matches
The 22-year-old star will face Leeds, Everton, Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford this month
Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane comes closest to Shearer’s tally, following his blistering 2016-17 campaign in which he scored four hat-tricks ahead of Haaland’s impressive season this year.
The Man City star needs another hat-trick to equal Shearer’s record and with games against Southampton, Leeds and Everton still to come, Haaland could well overtake the Newcastle legend.
Most top-season goals scored by an English club (63)
He couldn’t… could he?
The current record for most goals in a single season in all competitions in the English top flight stands at 63 goals and is held by Everton legend Dixie Dean.
Dean wrote his name in football history after the stunning tally in the 1927-28 season.
To match the incredible record, Haaland would need to score 12 goals in eight or nine appearances for City.
Everton legend Dixie Dean holds the record for most goals scored in a top-flight English season
The record seemed almost impossible to break in March, but now? Virtually nothing can be ruled out.
And one he can’t…
Dean’s mammoth performance had an interesting quirk: only three of the Everton striker’s goals have come in the FA Cup and outside England’s First Division
That makes the player’s league record a staggering 60 goals in just 39 matches.
Haaland is a long way from breaking that, but there’s no harm in setting a target for next season.