Haaland's Historic Rampage: The Nine Elite Clubs He's Already Outgunned in Just 50 Champions League Games
Erling Haaland has demonstrated throughout his career that he's an extraordinary goal machine, but his latest achievement on Wednesday against Monaco in the Champions League showcased him in an entirely new dimension.
Haaland not only overtook Thierry Henry to claim exclusive ninth position on the Champions League's all-time scoring list, but he also accumulated more goals than nine entire clubs combined after reaching his 50th appearance in Europe's premier competition.
The Norwegian striker's tally of 52 goals across his initial 50 Champions League matches exceeds the goal totals that Dinamo Zagreb, Anderlecht, Lille, Club Brugge, Beşiktaş, Celtic, Galatasaray, CSKA Moscow and Panathinaikos achieved in their respective first 50 Champions League fixtures, according to Opta.
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 |
Haaland Operating in Elite Territory
Haaland has already secured a European Golden Shoe and two Premier League Golden Boots during his time at Man City, while also establishing himself as the second-most prolific scorer among current Champions League participants.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé maintains an eight-goal advantage over Haaland after this week's Champions League matches concluded. Though both players are primarily focused on helping their respective teams reach the knockout rounds, an intriguing scoring rivalry is developing between them. As they continue climbing the rankings and surpassing football legends, they may find themselves locked in a personal duel.
Mohamed Salah ranks as the third-highest active scorer with 48 goals, but his failure to find the net against Galatasaray has created a four-goal deficit behind Haaland.
Considering Haaland and Mbappé are aged 25 and 26 respectively, this rivalry could define the latter portion of this decade.
Manchester City Stumble Despite Haaland's Brilliance
Haaland earned Champions League Player of the Match recognition following his two-goal performance, yet Manchester City departed France with only a single point after late-game drama saw Eric Dier convert from the penalty spot.
This outcome places Man City precariously close to dropping outside the top eight positions, sitting level with Tottenham on four points but ahead solely on goal difference.
The Citizens, experiencing a disappointing campaign by their usual standards under Pep Guardiola, barely secured advancement to the knockout stage playoffs last season. They were subsequently eliminated by Real Madrid, marking Guardiola's first failure to reach the round of 16.
Man City's next fixtures include an away match against Villarreal on Oct. 21, followed by a home encounter with Borussia Dortmund, Haaland's former team, on Nov. 5 in the tournament.