Erling Haaland breaks Champions League records with 30th UCL goal
The forward’s explosive first half display against RB Leipzig secured the victory and wrote his name into the history books.
Norwegian scoring sensation Erling Haaland all but secured Manchester City’s place in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday evening with a ruthless first half hat trick. The three goals took his total in this year’s competition to eight in six appearances and earnt him a piece of Champions League history in the process.
The first two goals took the forward to 30 goals in Europe’s elite club competition, doing so in just 25 games. He scored the other 23 during his time playing for RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland became the fastest player to reach 30 Champions League goals, beating the record of 34 games set by Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The Norwegian is also the youngest player to have reached 30 goals in the competition, doing so at the age of just 22 years and 236 days. Previous record-holder Lionel Messi was more than six months older when he reached the striking milestone.
Who are the other fastest players to score 30 Champions League goals?
Haaland has installed himself at the top of the charts when it comes to being the fastest and youngest player to reach 30 Champions League goals. In breaking those two records he surpasses some of the most illustrious names in the history of European football.
Fastest to 30 UCL goals
Erling Haaland – 25 games
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 34 games
Robert Lewandowski – 46 games
Lionel Messi – 48 games
Neymar – 49 games
Youngest to 30 goals
Erling Haaland – 22 years, 236 days
Lionel Messi – 23 years, 131 days
Raúl González – 24 years, 91 days
Karim Benzema 25 years, 105 days
Thomas Muller – 26 years, 3 days
This is not the first time that Haaland has written himself into the record books in the Champions League. He is also the fastest player to reach 10 and 20 goals in the competition and has only just begun life at Manchester City.