Erling Haaland has made history again. Manchester City failed to win the Premier League in Josep Guardiola’s final season as manager, but the Norwegian did not return empty-handed.
The 25-year-old striker won the Golden Boot award as England’s top scorer for the third time in his career, and with this new trophy, and in just four seasons in England, he has already achieved a milestone previously achieved only by Harry Kane and Alan Shearer.
Haaland wins Premier League Golden Boot for the third time
Although he missed Guardiola’s final game as City’s 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa, Erling scored 27 goals in 35 games to win his third Golden Boot.
This goal was enough to secure him the English league top scorer award again, ahead of Igor Thiago (22 goals for Brentford) and Antoine Semenho (16 goals between Crystal Palace and City).
Furthermore, this figure puts Erling on par with the three Golden Boots won by Premier League legends Harry Kane and Alan Shearer. The only players left ahead of City’s striker are Mohamed Salah and Thierry Henry, who have both won four awards.
This latest award joins his other two Golden Boots, having been named Premier League Player of the Year for scoring 36 goals in the 2022-23 season and also winning the Golden Boot for his 27 goals in the 2023-24 season.
In addition to his league results, the forward finished the season with 38 goals in 52 competitive matches, reaffirming his status as one of the most effective strikers in world football.
At Manchester City, he scored an astonishing 162 goals in 198 games. To put that into perspective, Sergio Aguero, the team’s all-time leading scorer with 260 goals, took 10 seasons to reach that total. Haaland has already scored 112 goals in the Premier League, putting him in the top 10 all-time scorers, 50 goals ahead of Jermain Defoe (162).
The City striker will now focus on his first World Cup, leading Norway in Group I against France, Senegal and Iraq, before making his debut on June 16.
Haaland will then return to Manchester and take charge of a new era without Guardiola. Erling’s contract with the team expires in 2034.
