BritishStriker Erling Haaland reached the mark of 40 goals in the Champions League, becoming the fastest and youngest player to do this after 35 matches at the age of 23.
The goal in the 54th minute to reduce the score to 1-2 on the evening of November 28 was the 11th goal Haaland scored against Leipzig in all competitions, of which 12% of the goals took place in the Champions League. Leipzig is also the most favorite opponent in the 50-year-old striker's career, because no other team has conceded more than seven times by him.
Haaland celebrates when Man City won 3-2 against Leipzig at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England in round five of Group G Champions League on the evening of November 28, 11. Image: Reuters
Haaland holds the record for being the fastest player to score 20 goals in 14 matches, and 30 goals in 25 matches. His performance is still maintained at more than 1,1 goals per match, reaching the mark of 40 goals after only 35 matches. These records all belong to the Norwegian striker, whether in the Champions League or the Premier League.
Before Haaland, the youngest player to score 40 goals in the Champions League was Kylian Mbappe a year ago, at the age of 23 years and 316 days. Haaland is currently 23 years and 130 days old, has scored 40 goals and is only three goals away from Mbappe. The second fastest player to reach the 40-goal mark after Haaland is Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the former Dutch striker needed 45 matches to reach this mark.
Haaland is ranked 20th on the all-time Champions League scoring list, just eight goals away from the Top 10. He has scored five goals through five matches this season, and if Man City advances, Haaland can enter the Top 10 with his current performance. The entire tournament record still belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo with 140 goals in 183 matches, but the 38-year-old superstar will find it difficult to improve this achievement.
Haaland holds the record for scoring the most 50 goals 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 beat this achievement next season, or even this season.
Haaland has won the Champions League top scorer award twice, in the 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 seasons. He is co-leading the scoring list this season with Rasmus Hojlund and Alvaro Morata.
Hoang An
