Young Striker Tearing Up Pitch in English Premier League

By Tyler Donovan

Manchester City’s newly acquired Erling Haaland has been breaking records left and right. The 21-year-old striker from Norway joined the football club this summer on July 1. Since then, Haaland has done nothing but impress.

Haaland has been playing his whole life. It all started when he joined the academy of his hometown club, Bryne, at age five. After working his way up through their reserve squad, Haaland made his first start in 2016, three months before his 16^th birthday.

Over the next four years, spending time with Bryne, then signing with Molde, he made 74 appearances and scored 34 goals. He ended up with Red Bull Salzburg, competing in the top flight of Austrian Football. This was where Haaland took the next step and started getting noticed by big-name clubs.

Borussia Dortmund, one of the top teams in Germany’s top league, the Bundesliga, is where Haaland signed in 2020. Over the two-and-a-half years with Dortmund, Haaland was one of Germany’s best strikers, as he scored 86 goals in 89 games. He won Bundesliga Player of the Season in the 2020/21 season as he led his team to win the German Cup. Then on May 10, it was announced that Haaland would be going to England.

The striker had reached a deal with one of the English Premier League (EPL)’s top teams, Manchester City.

Haaland scored his first EPL hat trick on August 27 in a 4-2 victory. Then four days later, on August 31, he scored his second EPL hat trick. He became the quickest individual in Premier League history to reach two hat tricks, beating the previous record by 14 matches. This level of play led him to be named Premier League Player of the Month for August.

On September 6 he made his Champions League debut, scoring 2 goals. He became the first player to score 25 goals in 20 Champions League appearances.

His third EPL hat trick came on Sunday, October 2 in the Manchester Derby. Manchester City against Manchester United is one of the biggest and most anticipated matchups of the season for both teams.

His hat trick led the team to a 6-3 victory. He became the first player in Premier League history to score a hat trick in three successive home games. He also broke the record for the fastest player to have three hat tricks in Premier League history. Haaland did this in eight appearances. The next closest is 48 appearances.

Haaland has done nothing but break records in his short time with Manchester City. Don’t be surprised if he continues to make himself known by breaking even more records throughout what looks like a very successful career ahead for the only 22-year-old Norwegian striker.