By the end of the 2022/23 season, Erling Haaland will have broken all manner of goalscoring records in the Premier League and, perhaps, in the Champions League too.
For starters, he has just smashed the previous record for most goals scored in a single Premier League season – and the Norwegian could yet feature in five more league games for Manchester City this term.
Alan Shearer and Andy Cole both notched 34 goals in a single campaign – back when the Premier League’s format saw each team play 42 games.
But Haaland has surpassed that mark in just 33 appearances – demolishing Mo Salah’s 32-goal record for a 38-game season along the way.
???????? Premier League goals ???? A big thank you to everyone for the support, nothing happens without you all, we don’t stop here! ???? pic.twitter.com/5MJqSbH0T4
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) May 3, 2023
“It’s a special night and a special moment. I’m really happy and proud,” the 22-year-old said after his record-breaking goal in a 3-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday evening.
He was given a guard of honour by his teammates, coaching staff and manager Pep Guardiola at the end of the game.
The next record on Haaland’s watchlist will be the 37 goals that Ron Davies scored in the English top-flight back in 1966/67. And then….who knows what other records he will go on to smash.
Most goals in a Premier League season:
| Player | Goals | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | 35* | 2022/23 |
| Andrew Cole | 34 | 1993/94 |
| Alan Shearer | 34 | 1994/95 |
| Mohamed Salah | 32 | 2017/18 |
| Alan Shearer | 31 | 1995/96 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 31 | 2007/08 |
| Luis Suarez | 31 | 2013/14 |
*5 games of season to play
What Other Records Could Haaland Break?
Haaland’s 35th Premier League goal came just a matter of days after his 50th strike of the campaign – a penalty against Fulham.
The half-century saw the Norwegian surpass Clive Allen’s mark of 49 goals in a season, set back in 1986/87 for Tottenham.
To find a better goalscoring campaign than that, you have to go back the best part of a century – Tom Waring notched a remarkable 50 goals for Aston Villa during the 1930/31 season.
But the greatest season in history, as far as top-flight goal-getting is concerned, was delivered by Dixie Dean – the former Everton striker who some observers of the time consider to be one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots.
The Toffees frontman bludgeoned 60 goals during the 1927/28 season, and that looked to be a mark that would never be breached again….until Haaland made his £51 million move to City from Borussia Dortmund, that is.
With five Premier League games, an FA Cup final and a two-legged Champions League semi-final left to play – and potentially a continental final should City see off Real Madrid – there’s at least eight games in which Haaland can score the goals needed to surpass Dean.
Another record that is going under the radar is the most goals scored by a top-flight player in a single calendar year. That mark is currently 91, or 86 with friendly games discounted, set by Lionel Messi for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012.