Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Erling Haaland may well prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle for his current club, Manchester City. Having set a new goalscoring record in the English Premier League, he could help cement the club’s reputation by dominating English and European football. Check out the latest football oddson how successful his first season in English football could turn out to be. He’s still one for the future but he is fast becoming one of the most feared strikers in world football.
His Rise To Prominence
Erling Haaland was born in England, in the city of Leeds to be specific, where his father played for Leeds United at the time. That summer, Alfie Haaland transferred to Manchester City and he played a key role in his son moving to the club 22 years later. In the summer of 2022, Erling Haaland had developed into the most sought-after striker due to his combination of positioning, strength, speed, and finishing.
His story began in Bryne in his native Norway where he came through the youth system. Once he had made it through to the senior team, he transferred to Molde. Here, he was coached by the former Manchester United striker and coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Though he was scouted by bigger clubs, he eventually moved to Red Bull Salzburg in 2019. In a single season, he scored in five consecutive Champions League games, becoming the first teenager to do so.
His short spell in Austria resulted in a record of 17 goals in 16 games and bigger clubs were circling. The German giants, Borussia Dortmund, signed him shortly after at the start of 2020 and his profile grew. On a bigger, more demanding stage, Haaland excelled and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021. He was even named in the FIFA FIFPro World 11 in both 2021 and 2022.
Though Manchester City has racked up the trophy wins, they opted to match Borussia Dortmund’s €60m release clause at the end of the 2021-2022 season. It did not take Haaland long to start scoring as he scored twice on his Premier League debut. A few weeks later, he had his first hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Crystal Palace. It was also a perfect hat-trick as he scored with head and both feet.
So far, he has made goalscoring look very easy in England. He scored three hat-tricks in just eight league games which is impressive enough. Especially when you consider that the previous record stood at 48 which was Michael Owen back in 1998. He became the fastest player in Premier League history to score 20 league goals.
He’s already broken his club’s record for the most goals scored in one season, let alone a debut season. Haaland has also been named as the Football Writers Association’s Player of the Season. If you want to bet on how many goals Haaland can score in the future, take advantage of our Fanduel promo codes.
His International Record
While Haaland has become dominant at domestic level, he has also shown that same goalscoring expertise for his country. He began with Norway’s under-15s in 2015, scoring four in four appearances. Every year, he progressed to the next level up and consistently scored goals. For instance, he had six in six appearances in both the under-18s and under-19s.
Remarkably, Haaland scored 11 goals in just five appearances for the under-20s. That included nine goals in a single match during a 12-0 victory over Honduras at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019. He won the tournament’s Golden Book, despite Norway leaving at the group stage.
At senior level, Haaland could have played for England due to his place of birth. However, he always wanted to represent Norway and quickly made the national team squad. The scoring consistency remained and he scored his first senior international hat-trick against Romania in October 2020. He scored his second hat-trick when Norway beat Gibraltar 5-1 in September 2021.
His Playing Style
In some respects, Haaland is an old-fashioned center-forward but he offers so much more. His sizable, powerful 6 foot, 4-inch frame allows him to dominate defenders and hold the ball up. Using link-up play, he can exchange passes and run in behind with some expertly clever movement. Once in a shooting position, Haaland can use either foot to devastating effect
Summary
Haaland is only at the start of his career and, injuries permitting, he should go on to break even more goalscoring records. He currently leads the line for Manchester City and with their attacking talent, it’s no wonder he plunders so many goals. Even for Norway, he can still manage to score roughly a goal every game. His prolific goal scoring can be attributed to his formidable strength and physique but also his nous.
It would be foolish to look at Haaland as an old-fashioned center-forward, even if he looks like a Viking. With expert timing of his clever runs, he knows how to find space in the penalty box. At six feet and four inches, he can dominate in the air and few defenders can keep him quiet. Above all, he simply loves scoring goals and will do so for years to come.
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