Erling Haaland equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record as Mbappe closes in
Erling Haaland is rewriting Champions League history once again. The Manchester City striker scored in his side’s latest European fixture against Villarreal, extending his streak to 12 consecutive matches with a goal, equaling a record once set by Cristiano Ronaldo during his legendary Real Madrid spell in 2018.
With this milestone, Haaland’s consistency has now placed him alongside one of football’s greatest Champions League performers, while Kylian Mbappe isn’t far behind. The French forward has found the net in 11 straight European matches for Real Madrid and could match the record when Los Blancos face Juventus on October 22.
Haaland’s ruthless form continues
It’s hard to overstate just how dominant Haaland has been this season. The 25-year-old has scored 24 goals and registered three assists in 14 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City and Norway.
In Europe, the Champions League has almost become his personal stage. His combination of pace, power, and precision in front of goal continues to torment defenders and rewrite the competition’s record books.
Haaland has now scored 53 goals in just 51 Champions League games, making him the second-highest scorer in the competition before turning 26, behind only Lionel Messi.
Breaking records at unprecedented speed
The Norwegian goal machine recently became the fastest player in history to reach 50 Champions League goals, doing so in only 49 appearances. The previous best belonged to Ruud van Nistelrooy, who needed 62 games to reach the same milestone.
Even more impressive, Haaland achieved the feat younger than anyone before him, at 25 years and 59 days old. For context, Mbappe reached the mark at 25 years and 356 days, while Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t do so until he was 28.
Mbappe and Kane also in the race
Haaland’s record-breaking exploits come amid a fascinating new wave of competition at Europe’s top level. Kylian Mbappe continues his blistering form at Real Madrid and could soon draw level with Haaland’s scoring streak.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane has made history of his own at Bayern Munich, becoming the first player to score in 13 consecutive Champions League appearances, surpassing both Haaland and Ronaldo in that specific metric.
The battle among Europe’s elite finishers is heating up, but for now, it’s Haaland who once again stands shoulder to shoulder with the greats, and still has time to go one better.
SportsLigue