Manchester City and Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland is a goalscoring machine. The 6 ft 4 in number nine has scored an incredible 224 goals in 271 games since making his professional debut for Byrne 2 in 2015 and has 27 goals in 29 appearances for the Norwegian national team. Haaland broke the record for most goals in a Premier League season, with 36 in 35 games, and is now only one strike away from becoming the fastest-ever Premier League player to reach 50 goals in England’s top competition.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Haaland found the back of the net 36 times in 35 Premier League appearances for Manchester City, setting a new record in the competition. Haaland obliterated Andy Cole’s tally of 34 goals in 40 games during the 1993-94 season by some margin. After scoring his seventh Manchester City hat-trick in the 5-1 demolition of Fulham on September 2, 2024, Haaland became the fastest player to make 50 Premier League goal contributions, doing so in only 39 games, beating the previously mentioned Cole’s long-standing record by four matches.
The Record-Breaking Norwegian
Haaland now has another Premier League record in his sights, and every online sportsbook soccer market has the talented 23-year-old as an overwhelming favorite to break that record. Haaland has 49 goals in only 47 Premier League games for Manchester City, which means he is only a single goal away from becoming the fastest-ever player to reach 50 games in English football’s top tier. Andy Cole holds the current record after reaching 50 goals in 65 games, an impressive strike rate helped by Cole scoring five goals in Manchester United’s 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town in March 1995. Would you bet against Haaland not scoring another goal in his subsequent 18 appearances in a Manchester City shirt? You need professional help if you said yes to that question.
The Norwegian is the fastest player to ten, 20, 30, and 40 Premier League goals and is all but guaranteed to claim the race to 50 strikes. Once this 28-year record is in Haaland’s possession, he will set his sights on becoming the fastest player to reach 100 goals in the Premier League. Alan Shearer holds this record, becoming a centurion in only 124 competitive games. It would take a brave person to bet against Haaland hitting that total. Indeed, the only way Haaland does not claim Shearer’s record is if he leaves Manchester City for Real Madrid, with rumors of that transfer refusing to go away.
When Will Haaland Break the 50 Premier Goals Record?
Manchester City is next in action on November 25 against fellow high-fliers Liverpool. Haaland is yet to score against Liverpool in the Premier League and may not get the opportunity in this fixture, having twisted his ankle while on international duty against the Faroe Islands. Haaland is sitting out Norway’s game against Scotland as a precaution, but his injury is not considered severe, meaning he could be in action against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
Even if he misses out against Liverpool FC, Haaland has another chance to equal then break Cole’s record on December 3 against Tottenham Hotspur, on December 6 against Aston Villa, and then on December 10 against Luton Town. Should the unthinkable happen and Haaland not put the ball in the back of the net in those games, he still has 14 more games to get the ball over the line! The record is inevitably his; Cole is keeping it warm for now.
Who Are The Players to Hit 50 Premier League Goals the Quickest?
As mentioned, Andy Cole is the current record holding, having scored 50 Premier League goals in 65 games. Cole struggled for goals before banging in five against Ipswich Town in March 1995. That game was the record margin of victory in the Premier League, with Cole becoming the first player since Tony Woodcock in October 1983 to score five goals in a single game.
Those five Cole goals broke Alan Shearer’s record of 50 goals in 66 games by a single appearance. Shearer set the record six months earlier, firing in his 50th and 51st goals against Everton. Shearer reached 100 goals in 124 appearances and is the all-time top goalscorer in the competition with 260 strikes. Only Harry Kane (208) and Wayne Rooney (208) have eclipsed 200 goals in the Premier League.
Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy almost broke the record in 2003 but fell a couple of games short. The Dutchman found the back of the net 50 times in 68 games. Van Nistelrooy’s 50th goal was the 10th successful Premier League appearance he scored in for Manchester United. This record stood until November 2015, when Jamie Vardy scored in 11 consecutive games for Leicester City. Although he missed the Premier League record, van Nistelrooy holds the record for the fewest appearances to reach 50 UEFA Champions League goals (62), four faster than the legendary Lionel Messi.
Conclusion
Erling Haaland has scored goals for every team fortunate enough to have the young Norwegian pull on their shirt. Since making his professional debut for Byrne 2 in 2015, Haaland has played in 271 domestic league, cup, and European games and has scored an almost unbelievable 224 goals.
Some pundits questioned whether Haaland could continue his impressive goal scoring form in the Premier League despite his 86 games in 89 appearances for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund. He has not only continued his goal scoring exploits but somehow improved them. During his first campaign with Manchester City, he set a Premier League record of 36 goals in a single season and is already on 13 goals this season from 12 games! Haaland is on course to score 40 goals in the league this season at his current goals-per-game ratio!
Will Haaland become the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League goals? 100% yes, is the answer. In fact, having reached 49 goals in 47 games, it would be surprising for him not to reach the 50-goal milestone in fewer than 50 appearances. Just think about that for a while.
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