Erling Haaland is already proving he’s worth every cent of his $91m transfer fee for Premier League giants Manchester City.
Heralded as one of most exciting young talents in world football, scoring 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund, there were high expectations when Haaland completed an intriguing move to English champions City in June.
But not many people expected Haaland to get off to such a blistering start to his career in sky blue, some thought he’d struggle, but records have already begun to tumble at the Etihad.
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While he got off to a slow start in the Community Shield against Liverpool, with club great Sergio Aguero sensationally calling out the marquee recruit, he hasn’t skipped a beat in the Premier League.
Haaland netted his second hat-trick in as many game for the Citizens on Thursday morning (AEST), seeing his season tally rise to nine goals from just five games.
Not only is he off to the best goal scoring start for any player in league history, but he’s smashed the record for the fewest games played to score two hat-tricks – with Demba Ba having taken 21 games.
Pundits out of the United Kingdom have sung the 22-year-olds praises after another stellar performance, which saw him take home the match ball.
Ed Mackey from GOALsaid Haaland was making the Premier League look like a video game.
“Haaland was once again the name on everyone’s lips around the footballing world. He added another trio of goals to the six he had already scored in his debut Premier League season,” Mackey wrote.
“It has taken Haaland the fewest games in Premier League history to score two hat-tricks. It took the Manchester City striker just five games.
“It’s like a game of FIFA for Haaland.”
Haaland got off the mark against Nottingham Forest this morning with a well worked finish in just the 12th minute.
It took the towering striker just 38 minutes to complete his haul, although the distance from all three efforts probably only totalled about 14 yards.
Unsurprisingly, Haaland is the outright leader in the race for the Premier League golden boot, with Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic his closest rival with five goals.
“He’s a real problem for the league at the minute. He’s difficult to play against and he’s the complete striker – he’s got everything,” former Everton and Wales defender Ashley Williams told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“When we look at the goals he’s scored this season, he’s a proper striker. He’s just got a knack for scoring goals and I’m excited to see him this season because he’s just going to go on and on and score more and more.”
After winning the golden boot award in 2020, Haaland is one of 30 nominees to take out the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best male footballer.
Already shaping up as a strong chance to take out England’s golden boot, he has a couple of months now to stake his claim for highest individual accolade the sport has to offer.
ESPN’s Rob Dawson has already compared the Leeds-born forward to two of the greatest players of the current generation, if not all time.
“If Erling Haaland really is the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi then he’s wasting no time in racking up the numbers to prove it,” Dawson wrote.
“The likelihood is that we might never see goal scoring accomplishments like Ronaldo and Messi managed during their time in Spain, but Haaland’s start to life at Manchester City has – at the very least – raised the possibility that we might.
“To put his exploits into context, it took Sergio Aguero more than three years and nearly 100 games to score two league hat-tricks for City. Haaland has done it in less than a month, only playing a full 90 minutes once over that span”.
Premier League great Michael Owen believes Haaland will break “every goal scoring record” during his time with City.
“I repeat; This fella is going to break virtually every goal scoring record there is,” Owen wrote on Twitter.
“He’s too big, too quick, clinical in front of goal and he’s playing in a team that create dozens of chances. All he need to do is stay fit.”
Next up for the reigning champions is a trip to Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa, who are in desperate need of a win after this morning’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal.
Gerrard is under pressure, and the Villains are in desperate need of points, currently sitting second-last on the league ladder.
The result also saw the Gunners extend their perfect start to the season to five games, which sees the undefeated City sit in second with a draw the only blip on their otherwise solid start to the season.
