Erling Braut Haaland is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Norway national team. He is considered one of the best players in the world and is known for his speed, strength, positioning, and finishing inside the box.
โฝ Early Life and Youth Career
Haaland was born on 21 July 2000 in Leeds, England, while his father Alfie Haaland was playing for Leeds United. He moved to Bryne, Norway at age three and grew up as a supporter of Leeds United.
As a child, he took part in handball, golf, and track and field. He reportedly achieved a world record in his age category for the standing long jump at age five with a distance of 1.63 metres in 2006.
๐ณ๐ด Bryne and Molde
Haaland started in the academy of his hometown club Bryne at age five. He played for Bryne 2 in the Norwegian fourth tier, scoring 18 goals in 18 matches during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
On 1 February 2017, Molde announced the signing of 16-year-old Haaland. He finished his first season at Molde with four goals in 20 appearances.
On 1 July 2018, Haaland scored four goals in the opening 21 minutes against Brann. He finished the 2018 season as Molde’s top goalscorer with 16 goals in 30 matches across all competitions.
๐ฆ๐น Red Bull Salzburg
On 19 August 2018, Red Bull Salzburg announced Haaland would join on 1 January 2019 on a five-year contract. He made his debut on 17 February 2019 in the Austrian Cup.
He scored his first hat-trick for the club on 19 July 2019. On 17 September 2019, he scored a first-half hat-trick on his Champions League debut against Genk, becoming the only player to achieve this feat.
Haaland departed Salzburg having recorded 29 goals, with 28 coming in only 22 appearances during the 2019โ20 season.
๐ก Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund confirmed the signing of Haaland on 29 December 2019 for a fee reported to be around โฌ20 million. He made his debut on 18 January 2020, scoring a hat-trick within 23 minutes in a 5โ3 win.
He became the first Bundesliga player to score five goals in his opening two matches. Haaland concluded his 2019โ20 campaign with 44 goals in 40 club appearances across all competitions for both Salzburg and Dortmund.
๐ต Manchester City
In 2022, Haaland transferred to Manchester City for a fee of โฌ60 million (ยฃ51.2 million). He won the continental treble in his debut campaign.
He set the record for most goals scored in a Premier League season (36) and most goals by a Premier League player in all competitions in one season (52). He won the Premier League Golden Boot, European Golden Shoe, and the Gerd Mรผller Trophy.
๐ณ๐ด International Career
Haaland represented Norway at youth level, winning the Golden Boot at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup where he scored a record nine goals in a single match. He made his senior international debut for Norway in 2019.
He has since scored 55 goals in 48 appearances, making him Norway’s all-time top goalscorer. Haaland is the fastest player to reach 50 international goals, doing so in just 46 games.
๐ Awards and Records
Haaland is the only player to win Premier League Young Player and Player of the Season in one season. He won the 2020 Golden Boy and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021.
He has been included in the FIFA FIFPro World11 for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. He has scored the most goals in a Premier League season and is the quickest player to score eight hat-tricks.
| Club | Period | Key Achievement | Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryne | 2015โ2016 | Senior debut at age 15 | 18 goals for Bryne 2 |
| Molde | 2017โ2018 | Top goalscorer in 2018 | 16 goals in 30 matches |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2019 | First-half hat-trick on Champions League debut | 29 goals |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2020โ2022 | Fastest to 5 Bundesliga goals | 44 goals in 2019โ20 season |