Five Reasons Why Erling Haaland is Manchester City’s Best Striker
There are plenty of reasons why Erling Haaland is considered the best striker for Manchester City. The Norwegian footballer is leading the charge for Manchester City in the 2025 season of Premier League. His athletic skills have proved to be resourceful for Manchester City, giving the English football club several chances to beat rival teams.
Erling Haaland can give Manchester City an early advantage by scoring a goal in the first few minutes of a match. The first goal of a football game can provide fans and club supporters with fresh zeal in the new season of Premier League.
Football fans are rooting for Manchester City to retain their championship title by betting on Erling Haaland to score in the first half. You can use digital tokens to bet on sports events like Premier League fixtures based on player performance in previous seasons. Erling Haaland has scored over 30 goals each season for Manchester City, making him a suitable candidate to bet on during football matches.
Take a look at the top 5 reasons why Erling Haaland is Manchester City’s best striker.
Nominated for Ballon d’Or 2024
The Ballon d’Or 2024 has announced that Erling Haaland is among the football players to be nominated to receive the prestigious award. He has stunned his fans on the football field by starting the 2023 Premier League season with a goal against Burnley in August.
Erling Haaland is the fastest player on record to have reached the milestone of 50 goals in the Premier League by appearing in 48 matches. He smashed his 50th goal in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool to achieve the record. Previously, Andy Cole held the title for the fastest footballer to hit 50 goals by playing 65 games in the Premier League. Erling Haaland has also scored consistently in the UEFA Champions League to be recognized by Ballon d’Or in 2024.
The Golden Ball or the Ballon d’Or is an annual award that is presented by the French sports magazine, France Football. Prominent football strikers like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not been included in the list of nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Kylian Mbappe and Ruben Dias are giving Erling Haaland stiff competition before the winner is announced.
Has scored 8 hat-tricks in his career
Erling Haaland has scored a total of 8 hat-tricks within a span of 10 years. The latest hat-trick by Erling Haaland came in a 1-3 victory for Manchester City against West Ham United that was conceived a few weeks ago.
He has hit 3 hat-tricks for Manchester City in 2024 to make Erling Haaland an amazing striker for his team. Manchester City was able to win 5-1 over Wolverhampton Wanderers in a friendly match after the Norwegian striker scored his first hat-trick of the year. Within 60 days of his last hat-trick, Erling Haaland made significant progress by scoring his second hat-trick against Ipswich Town in a 4-1 win.
Currently, Erling Haaland is tied to 8 hat-tricks in the Premier League along with all-time greatest footballers like Theirry Henry, Harry Kane, and Michael Owen. His nation, Norway, has struck 18 hat-tricks in the Premier League. Erling Haaland is also the first striker in the history of Premier League to score hat-tricks in 3 consecutive home matches.
Hit 36 goals in his debut Premier League season
Erling Haaland netted 36 goals for Manchester City in his debut season for the Premier League. He joined Manchester City in 2022 for a transfer fee of €60 million. His 5-year contract began in July 2022, playing for a full game in his first match for Manchester City against Liverpool.
During his debut match in the Premier League, Erling Haaland scored 2 goals to beat West Ham United. Erling Haaland managed to score his first hat-trick in the Premier League in his debut year for Manchester City by helping his team win 4-2 against Crystal Palace. In just 30 days of joining Manchester City, Erling Haaland was named as the Premier League Player of the Month.
He has appeared in over 100 matches for Manchester City and scored a total of 97 goals for his Premier League club. He has helped his team win the Premier League championship title for 2 consecutive years between 2022-2024, making Erling Haaland the best striker for Manchester City.
Won Player of the Season award
Each season, the Premier League selects the most talented footballer by naming the Player of the Season. Erling Haaland won the Player of the Season award in his debut year for Manchester City, ringing in plenty of celebrations for the Norwegian striker. His teammate, Phil Foden, was announced as the recipient of the 2024 Player of the Season.
It is the 5th consecutive time that Manchester City players have won the Player of the Season award. Kevin De Bruyne and Rúben Dias are a few footballers from Manchester City who have won the title along with Erling Haaland.
Before joining the Premier League, Erling Haaland had played in other football formats like the Bundesliga and the Eliteserien. The Norwegian footballer had scored 86 goals for the club Borussia Dortmund in 89 matches. Leaving Borussia Dortmund for Manchester City might be the best decision Erling Haaland has made in his football career.
Part of the PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Team of the Year for 2024 includes Erling Haaland in its roster. The forward player accompanies Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa as potentially the strongest strikers to be a part of the PFA Team of the Year. Apart from Erling Haaland, Kyle Walker, Rodri, and Phil Foden, are the 3 other members of the 2024 PFA Team of the Year from Manchester City.
It is the second consecutive year that Erling Haaland has qualified for the PFA Team of the Year, following his success in the Premier League. He has also won the Gerd Müller Trophy and Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year in the past.