Erling Haaland breaks new record
His milestone came in the UEFA Nations League match between Norway and Slovenia, where Haaland scored twice in a 3-0 win.
Norway and Manchester City sensational Striker Erling Haaland. Photo by Fabrizio Romano.
By Robert Mutasi
Manchester City and Norway’s sensational striker Erling Haaland, on Thursday, October 10, 2024, became Norway’s all-time leading scorer with 34 goals in just 36 international appearances.
The 24-year-old smashed a national record that had stood for nearly 90 years, owned by Norwegian football legend Jørgen Juve, who scored 33 goals between 1928 and 1937.
His milestone came in the UEFA Nations League match between Norway and Slovenia, where Haaland scored twice in a 3-0 win.
The first, which equalled Juve’s record, came early in the match as Haaland reacted to a rebound from Slovenia’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who had parried a shot.
His record-breaking 34th then came in the 62nd minute as Haaland finished off a powerful left-footed drive, typical of his clinical finishing.
Of course, that has nailed him as one of the most dangerous goal getters in the world game.
Powerful, pacy, and razor-sharp in front of goal, what stands out is that Haaland rose to the top of Norway’s all-time leading scorers in a short run of 36 matches, far fewer than Juve’s 45 matches in international colors.
Further embellishing his already brilliant career, he has torn the Premier League apart at club level with Manchester City-breaking season records for most goals scored in one season of the Premier League-while at the international level, though Norway has struggled lately to qualify for major tournaments, the contribution of Haaland has been important to keeping competitive hopes alive.
Musing on this feat, an ecstatic Haaland exclaimed pride in his feat thus: “It’s a fantastic record to achieve. I have many years left.”
With the form and drive he keeps showing, that tally is bound to keep rising over the coming years as he cements his place among football’s all-time greats.
Erling Haaland signed for City in July 2022, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract which keeps him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2027.
The son of former City player Alfie, Haaland junior is widely regarded as one of Europe’s best strikers and arrived at the Club with a formidable goalscoring reputation following impressive spells at Molde FK, Red Bull Salzburg and Dortmund.
An established Norwegian international, Haaland netted an incredible 86 goals in 89 games across two-and-a-half seasons with Die Schwarzgelben, who won the German Cup as well as the Bundesliga Player of the Season award in 2020/21.
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