As first seasons in English football go, it is fair to say <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/erling-haaland/" target="_blank">Erling Haaland's</a> opening campaign will be a tough one to beat. The Norwegian goal monster, who moved from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund last summer, has slashed his way through English defences like a hot knife through butter. Haaland has set new standards in front of goal, setting records that probably only he will break in years to come. His 36 goals in 35 Premier League games broke the record for most goals in a single season, previously held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer (both in 42-game campaigns). No player has scored more goals in an English top-flight league season since Ron Davies found the net 37 times for Southampton in 1966/67. Only Dixie Dean's 63 goals – for Everton in 1927/28 – beats Haaland's 52 across all competitions in a single season. Those 52 goals means he has broken the record for most goals in one season in all competitions by a Premier League player, comfortably beating Mohamed Salah in 2017/18 and Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002/03 (both 44). His four Premier League hat-tricks in a single season is more than any player bar Alan Shearer, who scored five for Blackburn Rovers in 1995/96. The 22-year-old is the first player to score hat-tricks in three successive Premier League home games, and the first Manchester City player <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2022/10/02/scary-erling-haaland-looks-perfect-player-as-man-city-humiliate-united-in-derby/" target="_blank">to score a Manchester derby hat-trick</a> since 1970. Unsurprisingly, he was named player of the season, by the Premier League and the Football Writers' Association – with the Professional Footballers' Association award inevitably arriving in the post as well … oh, and he also scooped the Premier League young player of the season gong. All in all, not a bad effort at all. “It is unbelievable how many goals he has scored – so many important goals to help us win games,” said City manager Pep Guardiola after Haaland broke the Premier League record. “He is a unique person, as a player but also the person is special. “It is an incredible milestone. One day maybe he will break his record or someone else will, but they will have to score a lot of goals.” In the gallery above, you can see how Haaland's record compared with the other Premier League top guns.
