Erling Haaland has reached a new milestone in the Champions League, scoring his 50th goal in the competition. The Manchester City striker achieved this feat during City's 2-0 victory over Napoli, who played with ten men. Haaland's achievement came in just 49 matches, surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy's previous record of 62 games.
Haaland's journey in the Champions League began with a bang at Salzburg, where he scored a hat-trick on his debut against Genk. He continued to impress by netting five more goals that season, including one against Liverpool at Anfield. His time at Borussia Dortmund saw him score ten goals in eight matches during the 2020-21 campaign.
Since joining Manchester City in 2022, Haaland has scored 27 goals in Europe's top club
competition. He is now just nine goals behind Sergio Aguero, City's all-time leading scorer in the Champions League. At 25 years old, Haaland is also the second-youngest player to reach 50 Champions League goals, following Lionel Messi.
Haaland's first season with City was particularly successful as he scored 12 goals in 13 games, helping the team win their first Champions League title and completing a treble. This remains his most prolific season in Europe’s elite competition.
The Norwegian forward has demonstrated his scoring prowess with two Champions League hat-tricks and a remarkable five-goal performance against RB Leipzig in a 7-0 win. He has also recorded 13 braces throughout his career in the tournament.
Haaland has shown versatility by scoring with both feet and his head: 34 goals with his left foot, 11 with his right, and five headers. Most of these goals (48) were from inside the box, while only two were from outside.
Challenges Against Top Teams
Despite his impressive record, Real Madrid has proven to be a challenging opponent for Haaland. He has failed to score in four out of five encounters against them. However, he has been highly effective against teams like Sevilla and RB Leipzig, scoring six times against each.
Haaland's rapid rise places him among football greats. He replaced Alfredo Di Stefano and equalled Thierry Henry on the all-time Champions League scorers list. His current standing among top scorers highlights his exceptional talent and potential for future records.
Comparisons With Other Legends
The Norwegian striker broke Van Nistelrooy’s long-standing record by reaching this milestone faster than any other player. Messi took 66 games to achieve this feat; Kylian Mbappe needed 79 games; Robert Lewandowski required 77 matches.
Previously held by Van Nistelrooy for fewest games to reach 50 goals, Messi had the best minutes-per-goal rate (103.8). Mbappe led shot conversion rate (19.2%), slightly ahead of Messi (18.6%) and Lewandowski (18.5%).
Following his latest goal on Thursday, Haaland now leads both minutes-per-goal rate (78.7) and shot conversion rate (26.8), setting new benchmarks for efficiency and accuracy in front of goal.
