Erling Haaland wrote the script, breaking the record of Ronaldo and Mbappe by scoring 300 club goals
Erling Haaland makes history with 300 career club goals, breaking the barrier faster than Ronaldo and Mbappe / Image: AP Erling Haaland did what he was so used to: he scored another goal and made history.The Norwegian striker reached 300 goals in his club career as Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City at the Etihad Stadium.It was another milestone in a career that has moved at breakneck speed, though one familiar name still sits ahead of it.
Haaland reached 300 goals in another landmark night
Haaland needed just 368 appearances for Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City to reach 300 club goals.That puts him behind only Lionel Messi, who achieved the same goal in 365 games, while Haaland got there faster than Kylian Mbappé, who needed 398 games, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who got 499.Messi’s record has stood since 2013 when he scored his 300th and 301st goals for Barcelona against Granada.However, there is an important difference. Messi reached the milestone exclusively with Barcelona, while Haaland’s 300 goals were split between four clubs.Haaland’s latest came in the 26th minute against Coventry when he rose to a pinpoint cross from Antoine Semenya and headed into the net.Semenyo received an excellent pass from Enzo Fernández before getting on the right. Haaland took care of the decisive finish.The goal was enough to give new Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca the perfect start to life in the post-Pep Guardiola era, despite the home side failing to add to their lead.However, Haaland felt that City should have made the result significantly more enjoyable.“I should have scored more goals to finish the game but I didn’t so I made it difficult for the team and managed to keep Coventry in the game until the end,” said Renato Senise of ESPN. “If you don’t do it in the Premier League, it will be difficult.It was Haaland’s third goal in two games, another reminder that while City have undergone a huge rebuild, their most reliable source of goals remains exactly where it was before.The club spent more than £450 million ($609 million) overhauling the squad under Maresca, with deadline day arrivals including Fernández and Iliman Ndiaye. Both started against Coventry along with another major summer signing, Elliot Anderson.Still, Haaland remains a valuable asset to City.
Haaland now has Sergio Aguero’s record in his sights
The 26-year-old has already established himself as one of Manchester City’s top scorers.Haaland has scored 165 goals in 202 games for the club, making him second in City’s all-time scoring record behind Sergio Aguero, who finished his decade at the Etihad with 260 goals in 390 games.At his current scoring rate, Haaland is on course to overtake Aguero to become City’s undisputed leading goalscorer within the next few seasons.The Argentines have already taken one big points record.Haaland became City’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League after hitting 49 goals in the competition, moving two ahead of Aguero’s tally.For now, though, Messi retains a more eye-catching benchmark: the fastest player to reach 300 club goals in the modern era.Maresca will hardly complain that Haaland is chasing that record while continuing to deliver points for City.“It’s an important win, different from the first two,” Maresca said. “I’m very happy. I know the players day by day, we know each other. It means we’re going to get better and better.”City are now three points clear of defending champions Arsenal, who face Chelsea on Sunday.The lineup around Haaland may look very different to the one Guardiola left behind, but Noro’s role hasn’t changed.Give him a chance and he’ll keep rewriting the numbers.