• Haaland’s 36 goals took him past the long-standing joint records of Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole, who scored 34 each in the first three seasons of the Premier League — when teams played 42 games.
• Haaland scored 52 goals in his debut campaign with City, second only to Dean — but at one stage it looked as if he might break it.
Image: xinhua
Erling Haaland broke all, well most of, the Premier League goalscoring records in his first season in England — so what can he do this season?
The Norway forward scored a record 36 goals in 35 league games to win the Golden Boot — and netted 52 goals, a record for a Manchester City player, in 53 games in all competitions.
He never looked back after his opening games, where he smashed many of the records for fast goalscoring starts in the Premier League that had been set back in 1992-93 by Coventry City’s Mick Quinn.
Haaland also helped City win the Treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
What records can he break in 2023-24?
Haaland’s 36 goals took him past the long-standing joint records of Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole, who scored 34 each in the first three seasons of the Premier League — when teams played 42 games.
Mohamed Salah’s tally of 32 had been the record for players in the 38-game era. The remarkable thing is Haaland, 23, could have scored more and will now have his eyes on breaking his own record.
The Leeds-born Norwegian only played 35 games, starting 33 — fewer than Shearer, Cole or Salah in their campaigns.
He featured in 82 per cent of the minutes of City’s 2022-23 league campaign — compared with 99 per cent for Harry Kane at Tottenham or 96 per cent for Salah at Liverpool.
City left the goal machine on the bench for their final-day defeat at Brentford, with the FA Cup and Champions League finals in mind.
So if he can get more minutes this season, he may well score more goals.
Haaland will also be confident of becoming the quickest player to 50 Premier League goals. Cole holds the record with 65 appearances — which Haaland would break if he nets 14 times in his next 29 games.
Can he break a Dixie Dean landmark?
Even by Haaland’s superhuman scoring rate, there is one landmark he probably won’t be catching.
Dixie Dean hit an unprecedented 60 top-flight goals for Everton in 1927-28 — Haaland fell 24 goals short of that last season.
But he might have a chance at beating Dean’s 63 goals in all competitions that season, which is a record for an English top-flight player.
Haaland scored 52 goals in his debut campaign with City, second only to Dean — but at one stage it looked as if he might break it.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker was on 50 goals with 10 games for City left, but only netted twice in that time. Finish the season stronger this time and he might well do it.
But he would have to really up that scoring ratio to catch Lionel Messi’s 73 goals in all competitions for Barcelona in 2011-12.
Manchester City record?
Haaland is already City’s record goalscorer in a season, passing Tommy Johnson’s 94-year mark of 38 goals back in March.
Another season like last year would put him in City’s all-time top 20, but he needs another 80 to crack the top 10.
Champions League record?
Haaland has scored 35 goals in just 30 Champions League appearances, putting him joint-21st in the competition’s history - including the old European Cup.
He has managed more than a goal a game for his three clubs (eight in six for Salzburg, 15 in 13 for Dortmund and 12 in 11 for City).
Seven players have managed more than his two Golden Boots and if Haaland finishes top scorer a third time, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller would be above him.
He has the records for fewest games needed to score 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 Champions League goals — and will surely break the record for 40 goals too.
The current holder of that feat is Ruud van Nistelrooy, who took 45 games to reach that landmark.
Haaland would need 15 goals to reach 50 - which Van Nistelrooy took a record 62 games to reach. The most Champions League goals in a season remains Cristiano Ronaldo’s 17 in 11 games in 2013-14.
Norway record?
Haaland is Norway’s joint-fourth top scorer with 24 goals in 25 games. He is nine off Jorgen Juve’s national record of 33 goals scored between 1928-1937.
Norway have six games scheduled before the end of November — and will have more next year.