Erling Haaland is closing in on familiar territory: top of the Premier League scoring charts, defenders looking exhausted, and another Golden Boot almost within reach.
The Manchester City striker has scored 26 Premier League goals this season, putting him ahead of Brentford’s Igor Thiago, who sits on 22. With the campaign nearing its final stretch, Haaland is on course to win the award for a third time in four seasons since arriving in England.
That is not just consistency. That is domination with studs on.
Haaland’s Premier League record already reads like something from a video game save file. In 2022/23, he hit 36 goals, breaking the single-season Premier League record. A year later, he followed it with 27. Last season, Mohamed Salah claimed the crown with 29, but Haaland is now back in front and reminding everyone that his quiet spells are usually just the storm gathering its coat.
The numbers also show how ruthless he has been. Even in a season where City have not always looked at their smoothest, Haaland has remained the reference point in the box. He does not need 10 touches to change a match. One run, one slip from a centre-back, one low cross across the six-yard area, and the whole defensive plan goes into the shredder.
A third Golden Boot would move him into rare Premier League company. Only a handful of forwards have won the award three or more times, including Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah. Haaland joining that group this early into his City career would underline just how quickly he has bent the league around his finishing.
The bigger question is whether this season can also push him back into the Ballon d’Or conversation.
Goals alone do not always win that prize, especially in a World Cup year. Team trophies, Champions League moments and summer performances often carry huge weight. Recent Ballon d’Or power rankings have names like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Declan Rice in the mix, with Haaland still among the contenders rather than the clear frontrunner.
But if Haaland finishes as Premier League top scorer again and City end the season strongly, his case becomes impossible to ignore. The Golden Boot may not guarantee a Ballon d’Or.
For Haaland, though, it might be the loudest opening argument.