Erling Haaland is expected to reach 1,000 goals after he made 45 goals this season, especially after he broke another record against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Man City beat Bayern 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium, with former Borussia Dortmund striker Haaland scoring one goal and one assist.
Rodri put Pep Guardiola’s side 1-0 up thanks to a stunning strike before Haaland selflessly set up Bernardo Silva and sealed the win with a right-footed volley in the second half.
It was Haaland’s 45th goal of his debut season with Man City and means he now holds the record for most goals scored in a single season in all competitions.
Former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole says Haaland will continue to improve in the coming years and believes he can reach 1,000 goals if he stays fit. “He’s so incredible,” said Cole, reported by BT Sport. “His assist (to Bernardo Silva) was incredible.”
“The scary thing is that he will get better and better. He will become even more complete in the following seasons,” said Cole.
“I told Rio (Ferdinand), I thought he would score 1,000 goals, but he laughed at me.”
“But, look at the numbers. If he plays into his mid-30s and doesn’t get injured he can do it.”
Still only 22 years old, Haaland has scored 200 goals at club level with Man City, Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, Molde and Byrne – as well as 21 of his 23 goals for the Norwegian national team.
Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo, who have been compared to Haaland by Pep Guardiola, have been able to score 1,000 goals despite their record-breaking pace.
The next record in his sights is the most goals scored in a Premier League season, with Haaland just five goals shy of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole after bagging his 30th goal against Southampton at the weekend.
He has nine games remaining, starting with The Citizens’ visit to struggling Leicester City at the weekend.
