Haaland breaks another record in the Champions League

Striker Erling Haaland reached the 40-goal mark in the Champions League, becoming the fastest and youngest player to do so after 35 matches at the age of 23.

The 54th-minute strike to reduce the score to 1-2 on the evening of November 28 was the 12th goal Haaland has scored against Leipzig in all competitions, of which 50% have come in the Champions League. Leipzig is also the 23-year-old striker's favorite opponent in his career, as no other team has conceded more than seven goals.

Haaland celebrates his goal as Man City beat Leipzig 3-2 at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England in the fifth round of Group G of the Champions League on the evening of November 28, 2023. Photo: Reuters — Haaland celebrates his goal as Man City beat Leipzig 3-2 at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England in the fifth round of Group G of the Champions League on the evening of November 28, 2023. Photo: *Reuters*

Haaland holds the record for being the fastest player to score 20 goals in 14 games, and 30 goals in 25 games. His efficiency is still maintained at more than 1.1 goals per game, reaching the 40-goal mark in just 35 games. These records belong to the Norwegian striker, whether in the Champions League or the Premier League.

Before Haaland, the youngest player to score 40 Champions League goals was Kylian Mbappe a year ago, aged 23 years and 316 days. Haaland is now 23 years and 130 days old, has scored 40 goals and is just three behind Mbappe. The second fastest player to reach 40 goals after Haaland was Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the former Dutch striker needed 45 games to reach the milestone.

Haaland is currently 20th in the Champions League all-time scoring list, just eight goals off the top 10. He has scored five goals in five games this season, and if Man City progress further, Haaland could break into the top 10 at his current rate. The overall record for the competition is still held by Cristiano Ronaldo, with 140 goals in 183 games, but the 38-year-old is unlikely to improve on that.

Haaland currently holds the record for the most goals scored in both the Bundesliga and the Premier League. This record in the Champions League still belongs to Van Nistelrooy after 62 matches. However, the Man City striker can break this record next season, or even this season.

Haaland has won the Champions League Golden Boot twice, in 2020-21 and 2022-23. He is joint top scorer this season with Rasmus Hojlund and Alvaro Morata.

Hoang An

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