CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
What Champions League goal records does Erling Haaland hold? Which ones can he break?
On Tuesday, Manchester City striker Haaland faces Real Madrid, one of only five teams he has failed to score against in the UCL.
Erling Haaland is arguably going through his worst run of form since joining Manchester City in the summer of 2023, yet few would bet against him having a decisive role to play against Real Madrid in the 2023/24 Champions League quarter-finals.
For much of his first season in England, the Norwegian averaged more than a goal a game, ending the campaign with 52 goals in 53 matches, including a record 36 in 35 in the Premier League.
Haaland hasn’t quite been as prolific this time around, yet he’s still managed to score 30 times in 36 games, with six goals coming in seven Champions League encounters. And he’s still the top scorer in the Premier League, despite missing several games through injury...
Erling Haaland’s Champions League record
Since making his debut in Europe’s elite club competition for Salzburg in 2019/20, the 23-year-old boasts a goalscoring record than has to be seen to be believed, which has led to him breaking a number of “youngest” and “quickest to X goals” records.
The former Borussia Dortmund forward has an overall UCL record of 41 goals in 37 games and is both the youngest and quickest player to score 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 times in the competition, as highlighted by UEFA.
Erling Haaland's Champions League records
- Youngest to 15 goals – 20 years 126 days
- Quickest to 15 goals – 12 games
- Youngest to 20 goals – 20 years 231 days
- Quickest to 20 goals – 14 games
- Youngest to 25 goals – 22 years 47 days
- Quickest to 25 goals – 20 games
- Youngest to 30 goals – 22 years 236 days
- Quickest to 30 goals – 25 games
- Youngest to 35 goals – 22 years 272 days
- Quickest to 35 goals – 27 games
- Young to 40 goals – 23 years 130 days
- Quickest to 40 goals – 35 games
Haaland previously held the record for quickest player to reach 10 Champions League goals (seven matches) but was outdone by current Dortmund attacker Sebastian Haller, who did so in just six matches for Ajax in the 2021/22 season.
Van Nistelrooy and Messi UCL records Haaland’s next targets
Scoring 50 times - he needs another nine goals - is the Norway international’s next major milestone and he looks to be on track to become the quickest player to rack up a half century. PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy currently hold that particular record on 62 games.
However, Haaland may have to get a move on to become youngest to 50. Lionel Messi achieved the feat at 24 years 284 days old with Barcelona, while Haaland is 23 years 263 days old at the time of writing. The City striker therefore needs another nine goals in the competition in under 13 months, which is doable but by no means a certainty.
Looking further ahead, all-time Champions League top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals) and Messi (129) are the only players who have hit triple figures. Their goals-per-game ratios (Ronaldo - 0.77, Messi - 0.79) is considerably down on Haaland’s (1.11), but can the Norwegian keep it up?
Which Champions League teams has Haaland failed to score against? Who are his favourite opponents?
On Tuesday, Haaland will come face to face with one of only five teams he has played against in the Champions League and failed to score.
He wasn’t among the scorers in City’s 5-1 semi-final thrashing of Real Madrid last season, and has also drawn blanks against Ajax (one game), Red Star Belgrade (one game), Inter (one game) and...Manchester City, who he played against twice with Dortmund.
On the flip side, he has found the net against 15 of 19 UCL opponents, with Sevilla (six goals in three games) and RB Leipzig (six in four) his favourite victims, followed by Club Brugge, Genk and Young Boys (four goals).