Erling Haaland: The Best Goalscorer From Norway

Erling Haaland is one of the most potent attackers in world football today. He has broken records in the EPL, UEFA Champions League and the Bundesliga. He has also won the Golden Boy award, joining the likes of Wayne Rooney, Pedri, Kylian Mbappe and Joao Felix.

Haaland’s career has also garnered widespread interest even from his early days at Molde to this time at Dortmund and now at the quadruple-winning champions of England, Manchester City. Join Footballers’ Biographies as we pen the adventures of Elring Haaland.

Player Profile – Erling Braut Haaland

Erling Haaland is a Norwegian professional footballer widely regarded as one of the most talented strikers in the world. Born on July 21, 2000, in Leeds, England, Haaland began his youth career at Bryne FK before moving to Molde FK in Norway.

His impressive performances earned him a move to Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, where he garnered international attention for his prolific goal-scoring record. Haaland then joined Borussia Dortmund in January 2020, where he continued to excel before transferring to Manchester City in 2022.

Known for his remarkable physical attributes, including strength, speed, and agility, Haaland is a clinical finisher with a natural goal-scoring instinct. He possesses exceptional technical skills, making him a versatile threat in front of goal.

Erling Haaland has won several individual awards, including the Golden Boy Award and the UEFA Champions League top scorer accolade.

Player Profile Overview

Early Life

Erling Haaland was born on July 21, 2000, in Leeds, England. His father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was a professional footballer who played as a midfielder and defender, notably for Leeds United and Manchester City in the Premier League. His mother, Gry Marita Braut, was a former heptathlete, which contributed to Haaland’s athletic prowess.

Haaland grew up in Bryne, a small town in Norway, after his family moved back when he was three years old. He was deeply influenced by his father’s career and developed a passion for football from a young age. He joined the youth academy of Bryne FK, where he showcased exceptional talent and physical ability.

From an early age, Erling Haaland was known for his remarkable speed, strength, and goal-scoring instinct. His early coaches and peers noticed his dedication and drive to improve. At the age of 16, he made his debut for Bryne’s senior team, which marked the beginning of his professional career.

Erling Haaland’s Playing Style

Erling Haaland’s playing style is characterized by his exceptional physicality, goal-scoring instinct, and explosive speed. He possesses remarkable strength, agility, and acceleration, allowing him to outmuscle defenders and make penetrating runs behind the defensive line.

Haaland’s finishing ability is clinical, displaying composure and precision whether it’s one-on-one situations or long-range strikes. His intelligent movement off the ball creates scoring opportunities, while his high work rate and defensive contributions add depth to his game.

Erling Haaland’s versatility enables him to adapt to different tactical systems and positions on the field, making him a formidable force as one of the world’s top strikers.

Erling Haaland’s Career Highlights

Erling Haaland started his youth career in his hometown of Bryne, Norway, where he joined Bryne FK’s youth academy at a young age. His rapid development and impressive performances quickly advanced him through the ranks, playing for the club’s under-19 team and reserve team.

At just 15 years old, Haaland made his debut for Bryne’s senior team in the Norwegian First Division during the 2015-2016 season. During the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Erling Haaland played for Bryne FK’s reserve team in the Norwegian fourth tier, impressing with 18 goals in 14 matches.

He debuted for Bryne 2 on October 5, 2015, and scored his first senior-level goal five days later. In the following season, he frequently appeared for Bryne 2, scoring his first hat-trick on September 19, 2016. In May 2016, youth coach Berntsen became Bryne’s caretaker manager and gave Haaland his first start before his 16th birthday.

Initially deployed as a winger, Haaland was soon moved to his preferred striker role. Despite not scoring in his breakthrough season, he was offered a trial by German club 1899 Hoffenheim. However, he signed for Molde to play under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. 

Erling Haaland Signs for Molde

On 1 February 2017, Molde signed 16-year-old Erling Haaland, who made his debut for the club on 26 April, scoring in a 3–2 Norwegian Cup win against Volda TI. He made his Eliteserien debut on 4 June as a substitute against Sarpsborg 08.

On 6 August, Haaland scored his first league goal, securing a 1–0 victory against Tromso IL, followed by another decisive goal on 17 September in a 3–2 win over Viking FK. He ended his first season with four goals in 20 appearances.

On 1 July 2018, Haaland scored four goals in 21 minutes against Brann, leading to a 4–0 victory and drawing comparisons to Romelu Lukaku from Molde manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. He continued his scoring streak with a brace against Vålerenga and his first UEFA competition goal on 26 July in a Europa League qualifier.

Despite missing the last three league matches due to an ankle injury, Erling Haaland finished the 2018 season as Molde’s top scorer with 16 goals in 30 matches and received the Eliteserien Breakthrough of the Year award.

Erling Haaland’s UEFA Champions League Debut

Erling Haaland joined Red Bull Salzburg in January 2019, signing a five-year contract. Before this, he had an offer from Leeds United, his father’s former club. Haaland made his debut for Salzburg in February 2019, scoring his first goal in May of the same year.

Erling Haaland quickly made an impact, scoring his first hat-trick for the club in July during an Austrian Cup match against SC-ESV Parndorf. He followed this with another hat-trick in the league in August against Wolfsberger AC and a third one in September against TSV Hartberg.

Haaland’s remarkable start continued as he scored three goals in his UEFA Champions League debut against Genk, becoming the only player to achieve a first-half hat-trick on his competition debut.

Haaland Scores in First Five Champions League Group-Stage Matches

In his next two Champions League matches, Erling Haaland scored against Liverpool and Napoli, becoming the second teenager ever, after Karim Benzema, to score in each of his first three appearances in the competition.

His six goals were also the most by any player in their first three Champions League matches. Haaland continued his scoring streak, becoming the first teenager to score in his first four matches and only the fourth player overall.

He joined an elite list with Zé Carlos, Alessandro Del Piero, and Diego Costa. Erling Haaland scored all three goals in Salzburg’s 3–0 victory over Wolfsberger AC, recording his fifth hat-trick of the season.

Haaland then scored against Genk, making him the first teenager and fifth player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches. The other players to have achieved the same feat include Del Piero, Serhii Rebrov, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.

However, he couldn’t find the net in Salzburg’s final group match against Liverpool, ending their campaign. Haaland left Salzburg having scored 29 goals, with 28 coming in 22 appearances during the 2019–20 season.

The Start of Haaland’s Dortmund Adventure

Erling Haaland, despite attracting interest from clubs like Manchester United and Juventus, joined Borussia Dortmund in December 2019 for a reported fee of around €20 million.

He made a remarkable debut, scoring a hat-trick against FC Augsburg, becoming only the second player in Dortmund history to do so in their Bundesliga debut.

Erling Haaland continued his impressive form, scoring five goals in his first two Bundesliga matches and winning the Bundesliga Player of the Month award for January.

In the Champions League, he scored 10 goals for Dortmund in the 2019-2020 campaign, showcasing his prowess on the European stage.

Despite Dortmund’s exit from the competition, Haaland’s performance remained stellar. He concluded the season with 44 goals in 40 club appearances for both Salzburg and Dortmund.

Haaland Wins Best the Bundesliga Player of the Season

In the 2020-2021 season, Erling Haaland showcased his prolific goal-scoring ability for Borussia Dortmund. He began with impressive performances, including a brace against Borussia Mönchengladbach and a four-goal haul against Hertha BSC, earning him the Bundesliga Player of the Month award.

In the Champions League, he set a record as the fastest player to score 15 goals. However, a hamstring injury sidelined him temporarily.

Upon his return, he continued his goal-scoring spree, netting braces against RB Leipzig and in the DFB-Pokal final against RB Leipzig, securing Dortmund’s victory.

Haaland ended the season with 41 goals in all competitions, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Season award. He also finished the season as the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with ten goals, two more than Kylian Mbappe who scored eight goals. 

The End of the Bundesliga Adventure

In the 2021-22 season, Erling Haaland made a strong start for Borussia Dortmund, scoring a hat-trick against Wehen Wiesbaden in the DFB-Pokal and netting a brace with two assists against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.

However, he faced setbacks due to injuries, including a hamstring injury and a hip flexor injury, which sidelined him for several matches. Despite these setbacks, he returned to action in October and November, setting records by becoming the youngest player to score 50 Bundesliga goals in the fewest appearances.

Dortmund announced Haaland’s departure to join Premier League club Manchester City at the end of the season. Haaland bid farewell to Dortmund in their final match against Hertha HSBC, scoring a goal in a 2-1 win.

Erling Haaland Debuts for Manchester City

Erling Haaland made his debut for Manchester City in a 3-1 loss to Liverpool in the 2022 FA Community Shield. He made an impressive start in the Premier League by scoring two goals against West Ham United in a 2-0 win. Haaland later secured a hat-trick against Crystal Palace and another perfect hat-trick against Nottingham Forest.

Erling Halaand set a record as the fastest player in Premier League history to score two hat-tricks and was named the Premier League Player of the Month for August.

Haaland continued his remarkable performance in the Champions League, scoring a brace in his debut against Sevilla and becoming the first player to score 25 goals in their first 20 Champions League appearances.

He also scored a decisive goal against his former club Borussia Dortmund. Erling Haalad’s goal won the match for his team. The goal earned recognition for the Champions League Goal of the Week and Goal of the Season.

Haaland Scores a Hattrick in Three Successive Matches

Erling Haaland made history in the Premier League by scoring a hat-trick in three successive home games, as well as becoming the fastest player to score three hat-tricks in just eight league matches.

His rapid goal-scoring continued as he reached 20 goals in just 14 league matches, breaking records previously held by Michael Owen and Kevin Phillips.

In the Champions League, he equalled the record for most goals in a single match and set a new record for the fastest time to score five goals.

Haaland’s prolific form saw him break club records and surpass previous top scorers like Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min. He continued his remarkable season by breaking the Premier League record for goals in a season and winning Player of the Month twice.

Haaland Surpasses Alan Shearer

In May, Erling Haaland made history by surpassing Alan Shearer and Andy Cole‘s joint record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League season, scoring his 35th goal against West Ham.

A week later, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year by a record margin, with 82% of the vote. He became only the fourth player to win the award in their debut season. Erling Haaland also won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in August.

He secured his first trophy with Manchester City as they clinched the 2022–23 Premier League title. By assisting Phil Foden‘s goal against Brighton & Hove Albion, he equalled Thierry Henry‘s record for most total goal contributions in a 38-game Premier League season.

Erling Haaland’s debut season in England earned him the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe, setting a new record with 36 goals in 35 appearances.

Erling Haaland Wins the Treble With Manchester City

The Norwegian striker played a significant role in Manchester City’s triumphs in the FA Cup and the Champions League during the 2022-23 season.

He contributed to City’s victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final and played a full 90 minutes in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, despite struggling to make a major impact on the latter match.

Nonetheless, City secured a 1-0 win, claiming their first-ever Champions League title and becoming only the second English team to achieve a continental treble.

Haaland finished as the top scorer of the Champions League season with 12 goals, marking the second time he accomplished this feat before turning 23, a feat previously achieved only by Lionel Messi.

His outstanding performances earned him the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award in August, surpassing both Messi and his Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne.

Haaland Wins The EPL Golden Boot Again

In the 2023–24 season, Erling Haaland made a stellar start with Manchester City, scoring a brace in a 3–0 win against Burnley on August 11. Shortly after, he contributed to City’s victory over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, winning his first trophy of the season.

Erling Haaland’s outstanding performances earned him the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award and a spot in the PFA Team of the Year for the Premier League. He set a new record as the fastest player to achieve 50 Premier League goal involvements, surpassing Andy Cole‘s previous record.

Throughout the season, Haaland continued to excel, scoring crucial goals in both domestic and European competitions. Despite a brief injury setback, he returned to the pitch in January 2024 and continued his goal-scoring exploits.

Notable achievements include becoming the second player after Harry Kane to score against every Premier League team he faced. Erling Haaland scored five goals in an FA Cup match twice and netted four in a single Premier League game. 

International Career

Erling Haaland started his international career with the Norwegian U15 and has gone on to represent Norway at various age levels in international football.

In March 2018, while playing for the Norway under-19 team, he scored a hat-trick against Scotland, contributing to a 5–4 victory and helping Norway qualify for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. During the tournament finals in July 2018, Haaland scored a penalty against Italy in a 1–1 draw.

Erling Haaland set a new record at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland for most goals scored by a single player in a match. He scored nine goals in Norway’s 12–0 win against Honduras. Despite Norway’s elimination in the group stage, Haaland won the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer.

National Team Debut

Although Erling Haaland was eligible to play for England due to his birth in Leeds, he expressed his desire to represent Norway. He made his senior national team debut for Norway in September 2019 and scored his first international goal in September 2020 against Austria.

Haaland continued to impress, scoring a hat-trick against Romania in October 2020. During the September 2021 international break, he scored five goals in three World Cup qualification matches, including another hat-trick against Gibraltar.

Erling Haaland finished as the joint-top scorer of the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League with six goals. His brace in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Cyprus in October 2023 brought his international tally to 27 goals in 27 appearances, surpassing Einar Gundersen as Norway’s second-highest all-time top scorer.

Personal life Of Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland comes from a sporting background. His father, Alf-Inge Haaland was a former professional footballer and his mother, Gry Marita Braut was a former heptathlete.

Haaland’s upbringing was influenced by his parents’ sporting backgrounds, contributing to his own athletic prowess. He has a close relationship with his family and often expresses gratitude for their support. 

Erling Haaland is indeed in a relationship with Isabel Haugseng Johansen. The couple met at Bryne’s youth academy and have known each other for over a decade. While they were friends for many years, their romantic relationship began when Haaland was playing for Borussia Dortmund during the 2022-23 season.

Role Models and Idol

Erling Haaland has expressed admiration for several footballers throughout his career, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but it’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s influence that stands out the most. Haaland often names Ibrahimovic as his idol, citing his playing style and mentality as sources of inspiration.

Haaland’s remarkable karate-kick winner against former club Dortmund in September 2022 reflects his learning from Ibrahimovic‘s playbook, showcasing similar audacity and skill. Like Ibrahimovic, Haaland shares a voracious appetite for scoring goals, making him a formidable striker on the pitch.

Erling Haaland’s Milestones and Personal Achievements

Erling Haaland’s achievements in his young career are nothing short of remarkable, showcasing his exceptional talent and impact on the footballing world.

He won the Golden Boy Award in 2020 and was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year during his debut season with Borussia Dortmund.

Erling Haaland claimed both the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe in the 2022-2023 season while playing for Manchester City, solidifying his status as one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers.

He also earned recognition as the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year and was named the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for his outstanding performances.

Haaland played a pivotal role in Manchester City’s success, contributing to their Premier League title win and finishing as the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League.

Conclusion

Erling Haaland has captivated fans with his exceptional skill, athleticism, and goal-scoring prowess. His rapid ascent through clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, coupled with his numerous individual awards and records, underscores his status as one of the game’s brightest talents.

With many chapters of his stellar career yet to be written and as he continues to evolve and make his mark on the footballing world, Erling Haaland will undoubtedly etche his name in the annals of football history.