Erling Haaland has already scored seven goals in just three matches this season, attributing his impressive start to an unusual summer break.
Last season, Haaland made a stunning debut at Manchester City, netting 20 goals in his first 12 games. However, this season’s start has been even more remarkable. With seven goals in three matches, he’s on track for another record-breaking year. His consecutive hat-tricks have brought his total Premier League hat-tricks to eight, and he’s only three goals away from reaching 100 goals for City, after playing just 102 games.
Despite what was considered a “poor” season last year—where he still managed to score 38 goals and provide five assists in 45 games—Haaland has returned with a vengeance this season.
“In the box, I’d say yes [he’s the best striker we’ve ever seen in the Premier League]. Erling is the most prolific striker I’ve played with,” said Kevin De Bruyne, comparing Haaland to legendary forwards like Sergio Aguero, Samuel Eto’o, Romelu Lukaku, and Fernando Torres. “It’s hard to compare, but the stats speak for themselves. He’s started the season on fire, and let’s hope he maintains it.”
Sustaining this form is crucial. Haaland admitted during the preseason that he played through injury towards the end of the last campaign. “It was not the optimal way; when you’re injured for two months, you lose sharpness. I was quite tired,” he revealed in New York.
However, taking a break has been beneficial, even if it meant missing the Euros. “My body is rested, and I’m ready to go. It felt amazing. I needed it.” Over the weekend, he explained how he focused on both physical and mental recovery during his time off.
“It’s really important, and only footballers know exactly how crucial it is to completely log off your football brain and not train or anything,” he shared. “I had a fantastic off-season, and I’m ready to hopefully have a good season.” Haaland even shared a social media post showing him meditating in a Norwegian river, hinting at how he spent much of his summer.
After a full preseason at City following a long break, Haaland began his rare press conference in the U.S. by noting it was the longest break of his career. He scored five goals in four games during their tour, averaging one goal every 47 minutes, and has carried that form into the new season. Including friendlies, Haaland has 12 goals in eight games since his return, scoring a goal every 49 minutes.
His goals have varied, including one-on-one finishes, clinical shots from cut-backs, penalties, a back-post header, and even a long-range effort. This is Haaland at his peak, but there’s an ongoing challenge between him and Pep Guardiola behind the scenes. During the tour, Guardiola urged Haaland to contribute more to the team, asking him to improve his link-up play, though with few senior players around and an injury to his natural partner, Oscar Bobb, that aspect was limited.
After scoring his first significant goal of the season, Haaland asked if he needed to be more involved in the build-up play—a question Guardiola had already raised, advising him to “run more, like an animal,” and press more aggressively. Guardiola believes that by engaging more defensively, Haaland becomes sharper offensively. Guardiola noted that Haaland had a change of mindset regarding his overall game during the U.S. tour, though Haaland still firmly sees himself primarily as a goalscorer.
When Haaland sprinted back into his half to disrupt an attack at West Ham, Guardiola remained unmoved, even when Haaland regained possession moments later. As Haaland returned to his usual position, he promptly scored, demonstrating his lethal finishing ability. This moment showed Guardiola that Haaland’s goal wouldn’t have happened without his defensive efforts.
There’s still room for improvement, especially considering Haaland barely touched the ball in the second half of that match but still secured another hat-trick. Guardiola has insisted that pressing is “non-negotiable,” and Haaland seems to be trying to negotiate his role with every goal he scores.
Guardiola attributes Haaland’s strong start to his injury-free status. Without the usual “niggles,” Haaland can stay longer in training to hone his skills—a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Guardiola.
Haaland is working hard, but he also ensures he enjoys his downtime. Recently, during two days off, Haaland flew somewhere sunnier than Manchester to play golf with his father—possibly at his property in Marbella. With his recent investment in two private jets, Haaland might make such trips more frequently when the opportunity arises.
After posing with his second match ball of the season on one of those jets, complete with an X-rated message from a teammate, it’s clear that whatever Haaland did over the last few months is paying off.
