Not bad for a debut

When Erling Haaland first arrived in England to join Manchester City last year, there weren’t many who doubted he could perform on the world’s biggest and toughest soccer stage. Even so, it’s fair to say the Norwegian soccer star has exceeded the expectations of critics and fans alike in an unbelievable debut season.

surpassed the record for the most goals scored in a season with four games left

This season, Haaland has scored 36 goals so far in the English Premier League (EPL). He surpassed the record for the most goals scored in a season with four games left before adding another goal last week. He is also the first player in the league’s history to score hattricks in successive home fixtures.

The 22-year-old’s addition has propelled Man City to new heights, so much so that the team is on the verge of the ultimate goal, the Treble. City is at the top of the EPL with two games left, will play Manchester United in the final of the FA Cup on June 3, and is now through to the final of the Champions League to face Inter Milan on June 10:

Man City’s victory over Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League on Wednesday has boosted Haaland’s chances in the discussion of the greatest players in the world even more. At the start of the year, he was +1000 to win the Ballon d’Or. Now, the Norwegian is just +138, but he will have to fend off some tough competition to claim the title of world’s best.

Can he beat Messi?

This year’s Ballon d’Or is truly a battle of new versus old. While the young star Haaland is second in the sportsbook odds with a 42% implied win probability, 35-year-old Lionel Messi is still leading the way. Sportsbooks have the Argentinian at odds of -189, a 65% chance of taking home the trophy.

soccer’s darling has just got his hands on the prize he has been seeking his entire career

Unfortunately for Haaland’s Ballon D’or hopes, soccer’s darling has just got his hands on the prize he has been seeking his entire career. Messi won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina in December. Not only that, but he did so in an emphatic fashion, bagging seven goals over the course of the competition in Qatar:

The only factor that could work in Haaland’s favor is Messi’s performance on a club level this season. Although still racking up 15 goals in 29 matches so far in Ligue 1, that’s a far cry from the 30 goals he secured in his last full season in La Liga. Paris Saint-German is clear at the top of the league, but failed to perform in the Champions League, bowing out in the last 16.

Other than Haaland and Messi, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema are in with a shout. The latter is the reigning Ballon D’Or winner after securing Champions League glory with Real last year. He has 17 league goals this season and four in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior has ten league goals and seven in the Champions League.

History of the Treble

If Haaland’s Manchester City does achieve the treble, the team will find itself in a very exclusive club. Only seven soccer teams in history have won a domestic league, a cup title, plus the European Cup or Champions League.

Celtic scored a record total of 196 goals in the Quadruple season

The first team to complete the feat was Celtic in the 1966/67 season. The club actually secured a Quadruple, winning the European Cup, the Scottish League, the Scottish Cup, and the Scottish League Cup. Celtic scored a record total of 196 goals in the Quadruple season, with the team nicknamed the Lisbon Lions for taking the European Cup win in Lisbon.

Of the following eight instances of Trebles, two are from Bayern Munich, two from Barcelona, and one each from Inter Milan, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, and Manchester United. The most recent of these came from Bayern in the 2019/20 season. Staggeringly, the team ended the season undefeated in 30 consecutive matches in all competitions, with 29 wins.

The only English team to have accomplished the feat was Manchester United under Alex Ferguson in the 1998/99 season. The City rival won the league by one point over Arsenal, defeated Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup final, and beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in one of the most dramatic Champions League finals ever.