Erling Haaland was born in Leeds while his father, Alf-Inge, was playing for Leeds United, and grew up in Bryne, Norway. He moved from Molde to Red Bull Salzburg, where a Champions League hat-trick on his debut in the competition announced him to Europe, and then to Borussia Dortmund in January 2020.
At Dortmund he scored at a rate of close to a goal a game and won the DFB-Pokal in 2021. Manchester City signed him in 2022, and his first season set a new Premier League record of 36 league goals as City won the treble. He has since added further league titles and Golden Boots.
Haaland’s game is built on pace, power and positioning inside the box, where he is ruthless with either foot. He is Norway’s all-time leading goalscorer and the focal point of both club and country.
Playing style
Haaland is the most prolific striker of his generation. He combines size and power with genuine pace, which makes him almost impossible to stop when running in behind. Inside the box he is ruthless: he finishes with either foot or his head, and many of his goals come from one or two touches. He has been criticised for limited involvement in build-up play, but his movement, timing and hunger for goals mean he rarely needs many touches to decide a game. He is also a strong penalty-taker.
International career
Haaland made his senior Norway debut in 2019 and has become their all-time leading scorer. Norway failed to reach the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 despite his goals, but in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup he scored at a remarkable rate and led Norway to their first World Cup since 1998.
Career in numbers
Haaland’s senior club career, which began in 2016, has so far brought 365 appearances and 276 goals for 5 clubs. His most productive season in front of goal was 2022/23, when he scored 52 times in 53 games for Manchester City. So far in 2026/27 he has 7 goals in 7 appearances for Manchester City. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.
