Erling Haaland has already scored two hat-tricks in the first three games of the 2024-25 Premier League season, further redefining the standards of exceptional goal-scoring for Manchester City.
Scoring goals is often regarded as the most challenging aspect of football. However, Erling Haaland makes it seem almost effortless, although his powerful strikes might suggest otherwise.
Record-Breaking Start to the Season: Unmatched Goalscoring Rate
Just three games into the 2024-25 Premier League season, the Norwegian striker has already netted seven goals and secured two hat-tricks.
After scoring a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town on Matchday 2, Haaland achieved the same feat again on Saturday, leading City to a 3-1 win over West Ham at the London Stadium. His three goals showcased his versatility and skill.
With this performance, he became the first player to score two hat-tricks in a team’s first three matches of an English Football League season since…
Go ahead, take a guess on this one
… Bradford City’s Paul Jewell during the 1994-95 Division Two season.
These achievements brought Haaland’s Premier League tally to 70 goals in 69 games—a remarkable strike rate we haven’t witnessed before in the competition over such an extended period.
Haaland’s goal-scoring prowess may be familiar by now, but it’s still astonishing to fully grasp his impact when viewed through a historical lens. It seems he’s redefining what it means to be a top Premier League striker, with his performance far surpassing anything seen before—even exceeding Paul Jewell’s achievements.
Last week, BBC’s Match of the Day stirred some excitement by showcasing a table of players with the most hat-tricks in Premier League history. This weekend, the Opta data presented an even more impressive picture.
Haaland now has eight hat-tricks in just 69 Premier League appearances. This translates to an average of one hat-trick every 8.6 games, an unparalleled record in the competition’s history. The closest contender is former Bolton striker Fredi Bobic, who managed one hat-trick in only 16 appearances, making his rate one every 16 games, albeit with just four goals in total.
Among players with at least five Premier League hat-tricks, Luis Suárez has the next best frequency, scoring six trebles in 110 matches, averaging one every 18.3 games. Sergio Agüero follows, with 12 hat-tricks in 275 games, averaging one every 22.9 games.
The remarkable figures of Suárez and Agüero should not be underestimated. For context, Thierry Henry scored hat-tricks at an average rate of one every 32.3 games, Ruud van Nistelrooy one in 30 matches, and Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, averaged a hat-trick every 40.1 games.
We recently speculated, somewhat in jest, that Haaland might aim to surpass Agüero’s record of 12 hat-tricks this season—starting with two in his first three games is a strong beginning. Even if he doesn’t manage another four this season, it’s only a matter of time before he overtakes Agüero.
A Finisher from Another Era: Haaland’s Efficiency and Precision
Haaland’s relentless goal-scoring is particularly intriguing because he emerges in an era where traditional penalty box strikers are becoming increasingly rare. Modern number 9s often play as a hybrid forward like Harry Kane or as wide attackers similar to Kylian Mbappé.
While this isn’t an exact science, Haaland feels like a throwback to a different style of striker. His exceptional finishing ability allows him to focus purely on scoring, which might not be possible if he weren’t so effective. Perhaps that’s the crux of his uniqueness—his finishing skills defy conventional expectations.
So, while other centre-forwards might seek frequent touches of the ball, Haaland’s threat arguably increases the fewer touches he gets.
Throughout his Premier League career, Haaland has averaged a goal every 22.7 touches. Since the beginning of the 2006-07 season, this is comfortably the fewest touches per goal of any player with at least two goals scored. To put this in perspective, it’s nearly half the 39.7 touches per goal achieved by Adam Le Fondre. Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán (47.9) and Alexander Isak (48.2) follow in the rankings.
When it comes to goalscoring frequency, Haaland once again stands apart. He averages a goal every 80 minutes, with the next closest being Agüero, who scored every 108 minutes (minimum 20 goals).
It’s no surprise that Haaland also leads in shot conversion. Since joining City, 27.1% of his Premier League shots have resulted in goals. Among players who’ve scored at least 25 times in the competition since August 2004, Haaland is nearly three percentage points ahead of the rest. His closest competitors are Isak (23.4%) and Javier Hernández (22.5%).
Haaland’s stunning start to the season even prompted a question to Kevin De Bruyne on Saturday, asking if the Norwegian is the best striker he’s ever played with.
“It’s a hard question. In the box, I’d say yes. All around, maybe Kun [Sergio Agüero], but it depends on what you talk about. Erling is the most prolific striker I’ve played with. I’ve played with really good strikers like Kun, Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres; there’s some good guys. It’s hard to compare but the stats speak for themselves.”
Indeed, they certainly do, and as long as he remains fit and avoids major injuries, there’s likely no goalscoring record beyond his reach. Haaland has already set the record for the most goals in a single season and became the fastest to reach 50 Premier League goals. He’s poised to hit 100 quicker than anyone before, and while it’s still a distant target, he’s on pace to shatter Alan Shearer’s all-time record of 260 goals.
That record has stood for so long for a reason, but in terms of consistent goalscoring ability, Haaland clearly has what it takes to surpass Shearer. Whether he stays in England long enough or can avoid injuries will ultimately decide if he breaks the record.
Regardless, this version of Haaland is the most prolific goalscorer the Premier League has ever seen, and his start to the 2024-25 season indicates he’s only improving.
How old is Erling Haaland?
24
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