The resurgence of European Football can be traced back to so many different factors. None however, stand out like the play of Manchester City star Erling Haaland. Despite recent faults in success at the international level, his Premier League play earned him League Player of the Year in just his first season. Haaland’s growth and rise to fame as a player is record shattering and will leave you star shocked.
Early Career
Haaland started his professional career in Byrne, Norway at the young age of sixteen. After four years between leagues in Norway and Austria, Haaland made the jump to the German Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. In his very first appearance with the club, he showed out with a hat trick in only twenty-three minutes of play. Within his miniscule playing time he became the first Bundesliga player to have five goals in his first two matches. By the end of his time in Germany, Haaland finished with eighty-six goals in eighty-nine appearances as well as league player and team of the season.
Man City Star
After showing what kind of player he was, Haaland made the jump to the English Premier League in 2022. He made his debut with Manchester City against Bayern Munich. at Lambeau Field of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I was lucky enough to be at the match, which Haaland highlighted with a beautiful finish on a crosser from Jack Grealish. In his first season with the club, Haaland set twenty-six English Premier League records. The most astonishing of all, the striker had fifty-one goals across all leagues in one season, eight more than the previous record. By the end of the season, Haaland had won both the English Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe.
Just to go along with all of Haaland’s unbelievable achievements, his Manchester City squad finished with one of the best European seasons of all time. City became twenty-second squad to win a continental treble. In order to achieve the treble a team must win its nation’s national league cup, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. City did this with a Premier League Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League Cup. This feat was the first time it had been done by a European club. Their Champions League win was also the first in club history. Just to cap off an already unreal season, there were seventeen total awards given to players and coaches.
Freak of Nature
Along with being a simply put generational talent, Haaland is also an athletic freak of nature. He stands at a towering six feet four inches, while the Premier League average is five foot eleven. In a 2020 match against Paris-Saint Germain, Haaland covered sixty meters of pitch in an astonishing 6.64 seconds. For reference, the current men’s sixty meter dash record is 6.34 seconds (Christian Coleman). In 2006 he set the world record for five year-old high jump, leaping over one and a half meters.
International Play
Despite all of Erling Haaland’s recent league success, his results in international play are disappointing in comparison. Haaland was born in Leeds, England because of his father’s football career. However, his father is a native of Norway and Erling himself spent much of his early career in Norway. Thus the striker opted over the international powerhouse that is the English national team to play where he felt more comfortable. Norway has not participated in a FIFA World Cup since 1998, before Haaland was even born. Haaland himself has proven he can play at the international level, with twenty-seven goals in the same number of appearances. In 2022 he was tied for top scorer in the UEFA Nations League with six goals netted. Regardless of Haaland’s play, the team itself has yet to find success. Since 2018 the squad has yet to finish ranked in the top 20 of the UEFA Nations League. Norway’s national team also has not qualified for the Olympic games since 1984 in the U.S., which they were knocked out of in the group stage. Overall, it could be concluded that Haaland’s ability to carry a team to victory has not translated to the international level.
Fame
All of Haaland’s incredible records, highlights, wins, and more make it easy to believe the fame he has risen to. The striker has accumulated over thirty-five million Instagram followers and almost six million followers on X(Twitter). Haaland is also the second most Google-searched Premier League player in 2023, just behind Harry Kane. Norway’s region of Haaland, a very large tourist destination, has fears of disappearing. The tourist board of the region that his name has completely taken over the Google search of Haaland. However, the young star refuses to let the fame get to him. His social feeds are always very straightforward and football focused. Many of his teammates have said he does not go out, and football is all they know of him. He has stated in interviews that in the little off time he has he likes to train on his own and not think about playing.
Erling Haaland only turned twenty-three this past July. Regardless of records, achievements, wins, losses, and so much more he continues to play his way, to win. With career longevity increasing across all sports, he is set for at least another decade of domination. Lionel Messi is thirty-six years old and still shows so much greatness in his play. Haaland has a chance to lay down his legacy as one of the greatest strikers the sport has ever seen. His stardom is only scratching the surface of potential.