Haaland's Goal Machine Powers Through Another Champions League Record
Erling Haaland has advanced further up the Champions League's historic scoring rankings, moving past Thierry Henry to claim exclusive ownership of the ninth position.
The lethal striker maintained his goal-scoring form across eight consecutive matches for both his national team and club, netting twice in Manchester City's 2–2 stalemate against Monaco on Wednesday night. Haaland required merely 17 ball contacts to convert a half-volley and then deliver a precise header for his double.
At the young age of 25, Haaland has accumulated 52 Champions League goals. The Norwegian forward reached this half-century milestone in just 50 European appearances.
Haaland's goal count now places him ahead of Henry in the tournament's historical scoring rankings. The City forward, who was previously tied with the French icon, now stands alone in ninth position. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that he accomplished it in 62 fewer matches than the Arsenal legend required.
Top 10 Champions League Goalscorers in History
Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 140 |
2 | Lionel Messi | 129 |
3 | Roberto Lewandowski | 105 |
4 | Karim Benzema | 90 |
5 | Raúl | 71 |
6 | Kylian Mbappé | 60 |
7 | Thomas Müller | 57 |
8 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | 56 |
9 | Erling Haaland | 52 |
10 | Thierry Henry | 50 |
*Excludes qualifying goals.
Haaland's recent achievement follows just two weeks after the forward established himself as the quickest player to reach 50 Champions League goals. The Norwegian accomplished this feat in 49 games, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's former record of 62 matches.
The former Manchester United forward also represents the next target for Haaland on the Champions League's all-time scoring table. Van Nistelrooy concluded his career with 56 goals in the elite competition, a mark Haaland could surpass with merely five additional strikes.
Following that would be Thomas Müller, whom the ex-Borussia Dortmund star could potentially overtake this campaign if he maintains his current scoring pace.
Haaland has netted 15 goals across his previous eight appearances for both club and country. Overall, he has scored 17 times in the 2025–26 season. Manchester City will require their top scorer performing at peak level if they aim to reclaim championship success domestically or in Europe this term.