Sebastian Haller has been the revelation of the season so far. The former West Ham United States flop is now the top scorer in the Champions League. His goals have helped Ajax become the first Dutch team to progress through the group stage by winning all their games.
The player is also the fastest to reach 10 Champions League goals, needing only six games to do so. The previous holder of the record, Erling Haaland, did so in eight games. He is now going to play in the Europa League, as Dortmund have been knocked out of the competition.
Haller arrived at West Ham from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt for a club record fee worth £45million. After scoring four times in his first seven games, his form would fade out and he would only manage six more goals during his time with the Hammers. The arrival of David Moyes did not prove to be of much help to his form either.
As a result, West Ham and Haller decided to part ways, with Ajax coming in to sign the player in January 2021. Since moving to the Netherlands, the player has been reborn and his form with the East London outfit seems to be a thing of the past.
Only four players have scored 10+ goals in a single Champions League Group Stage campaign:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 7, 2021
◎ Cristiano Ronaldo (15/16)
◎ Lionel Messi (16/17)
◎ Robert Lewandowski (19/20)
◉ Sébastien Haller (21/22)
Haller joins the top three scorers in the competition’s history. #UCL pic.twitter.com/cjDKq4QhRO
“Here at Ajax everybody tries to help each other and we have a mentally strong group,” he said.
“We know that we need everybody happy and engaged if we are to reach our goals. I don’t want to compare myself to Salah, Lewandowski or anybody else. I just hope this form never ends.”
The striker will have the opportunity to extend his impressive goalscoring record this term when the knockout stages of the Champions League begin next year.
