Erling Haaland was last night named as PFA Player of the Year. The Manchester City striker took the top accolade after impressing his debut season, bagging 36 Premier League goals from 35 appearances, taking the Golden Boot as well.
It was an amazing first season for City’s Norwegian star, who joined from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £51m, scoring 52 goals in all competitions, including 12 as the blues were crowned Champions League winners for the first time.
His exploits throughout the season saw him grab six hat-tricks, including two successive trebles against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. And his treble in the Manchester Derby as City beat United 6-3 saw him become the quickest Premier League player to three hat-tricks, and also became the first City player since Francis Lee’s treble at Old Trafford in December 1970.
The striker beat teammates John Stones and Kevin de Bruyne to the accolade and the Norwegian was an inspiration as the blues marched to a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
Speaking after the award, Haaland was his humble, usual self.
“It’s an honour to win this prestigious award,” said Haaland. “To be recognised by your competitors is a great feeling and I would like to thank everyone who voted for me. It was an unforgettable season for the team and for me personally. Winning the Treble was something I never imagined, so to achieve that with such a special group of players was an amazing feeling.
“We created some incredible memories last season, but now we want to do the same again this year. We have started the season well and we need to keep going.”
The star was also one of five City players named in the Premier League Team of the Season, alongside Stones, de Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Rodri.
