Tag Archives: Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland 10 Year Contract!

I’ve received this wonderful news about Erling Haaland…

  • Erling Haaland has signed a 10-year contract that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium
    until 2034
  • The Norwegian striker has enjoyed a remarkable two-and-a-half seasons since joining
    the Club in 2022, scoring 111 goals in just 125 games
  • The 24-year-old played a critical role in the Club’s Treble-winning season and in securing an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title Manchester City is delighted to announce that Erling Haaland has signed a new 10-year contract with the Club.
  • The Norwegian international has signed until the summer of 2034, extending his previous contract by seven years and committing the next decade of his career to the Club.

One of the finest strikers operating in the global game, the 24-year-old has enjoyed an extraordinary two-and-a-half seasons since moving to the Etihad Stadium.


During his maiden campaign, Haaland proved one of the key catalysts in City’s historic Treble triumph, as Pep Guardiola’s side secured the Premier League, FA Cup and a first UEFA Champions League.


The 24-year-old received widespread recognition for his role that season, receiving the prestigious PFA, Football Writers’ Association and Premier League Player of the Year awards, amongst others.
His 52 goals in all competitions were more than any other striker in Europe that season and the greatest-ever tally by a Premier League player. He also broke the long-standing Premier League record for the most goals scored in a single season [36].


A second successive Premier League Golden Boot followed in 2023/24 as City became the first English men’s team to ever win four consecutive top-flight titles. Despite being sidelined by injury for almost two months, Haaland scored 38 goals in 45 appearances.

The Nordic striker has continued his goal-scoring exploits during the 2024/25 season with a further 21 goals to date contributing to a total of 111 goals in 125 games.


Haaland said: “I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.


“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.


“Now I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”


Director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “Everyone at the Club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract. The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club.


“He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves.


“But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling’s dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.


“He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club.


“Now he can focus on his game and continuing to play a huge part in helping us try to achieve even more success.”

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Leeds Utd 1 Manchester City 3

At Elland Road Manchester City defeated Leeds 3-1 on this day (28 December) in 2022. Erling Haaland scored twice to establish a new record – the fastest man to twenty goals in the Premier League. Rodri score the other City goal and you can watch highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/leeds-united-manchester-city-extended-highlights-63807863

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4-4 at Chelsea

On this day (12 November) in 2023 Manchester City drew 4-4 at Chelsea and this was heralded as a great game by the Sky TV pundits. As fans, these sort of games never feel like great games at the time but neutrals obviously love them. For fans of the teams involved they tend to feel like opportunities lost or maybe great comebacks depending on which side you support. Immediately after the game in 2023 I was asked when City’s previous 4-4 draw was and I spent a few minutes thinking ‘I’ve never seen one before involving City, or have I?’ So, I then started to scour the material in my collection and was somewhat surprised to find it was against Grimsby in September 1950! Certainly many, many years before I was born.

My favourite goal in last season’s match at Chelsea was the one Haaland scored with his er… um… er… shorts area. The City scorers were: Haaland (25 minutes pen, 47 minutes),  Akanji (45+1 minutes),  Rodri (86 minutes) and for Chelsea (including two City old boys): Thiago Silva (29 minutes),  Sterling (37 minutes),  Jackson (67 minutes),  Palmer (90+5minutes pen).

You can watch City’s highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/chelsea-4-4-man-city-extended-premier-league-highlights-63835413

Incredibly last season’s game wasn’t the first time City had drawn 4-4 at Chelsea and, coincidentally I’d tweeted about this before last year’s match. I never expected history to repeat itself. You can read about the earlier match via the link below. Incidentally, the game was in 1936-37 and City won the title that year – as they did in 2023-24!

Chelsea 4 Manchester City 4

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The Excitement of Your First Game

At last night’s (23 October 2024) MCFC v Sparta Prague Champions League game a young boy and his mum were sat next to me. It was the lad’s first game and he was so excited before kick off. His enthusiasm was great to see and when the players started warming up near us he couldn’t believe it. It was a great reminder, in these days when social media and even some football commentary, talk of the negatives that football remains something to get excited about.

The first goal was enough for the boy next to me. Sure it was scored at the opposite end and he could hardly see it but he got so giddy. He’d seen a goal (note: where I sit at the back of North Stand Level 1 is one of the few places in the stadium where you cannot see any of the video scoreboards and so never get chance to see the repeats of the goal). It didn’t matter to him whether players are ‘overpaid’ or any of the other complaints that are thrown their way. Nor was the boy bothered about Premier League governance or rules that may or may not have been adapted to limit a club’s success. What the boy was bothered about was seeing Foden, Haaland, Stones & Co.

While some on social media and elsewhere were moaning about missed opportunities or whatever at half time the boy was still jumping up and down with excitement. He couldn’t wait to see his team attack the goal near him. Obviously, he loved every minute of that second half – but he’d loved every minute of the first too. That excitement is great to see and a wonderful reminder that football isn’t about boardroom activity or anything else, it’s about a game where teams try to score.

At one point I heard the boy’s mum suggest they should leave a little early to avoid the crowds but the little lad was adamant he wanted to stay. He was rewarded with the penalty and the anticipation of what that would bring. Again, it’s a nice reminder of how the excitement builds when you see a penalty live in the flesh for the first time.

At the final whistle I left but the boy was still there with his mum no doubt staying to watch every moment until the players disappeared.

How I wish we could all just watch and enjoy football for what it is. Some games/halves may appear dull to some but for others it’s the greatest spectacle they have seen. That boy will remember that game and how he felt for a very long time and, years after most of us have gone, he’ll be telling future generations of his first game; his first heroes; Haaland’s goals and more.

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Champions Return

A year ago today (19 September 2023) the reigning European champions Manchester City started their defence of the Champions League at home with a 3-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade. It was one of those games that felt as if City would never score at times, despite immense pressure from Pep Guardiola’s team.

Summerbee brings in the Champions League trophy

In fact City went a goal behind with a goal those of us in the stadium were convinced was offside (so did the referee’s assistant, positioned in front of the East Stand) but VAR allowed it to stand. The goalscorer was Belgrade’s Osman Bukari, who fired home just before half-time.

When the second half commenced we were convinced the Blues would overcome the deficit and sure enough Julian Alvarez met an Erling Haaland throughball, rounded the keeper and prodded home the equaliser a mere 73 seconds into the second half. Many Blues missed the goal as they were still returning from the toilets and the bars!

Alvarez opening goal celebration, 19 September 2023 Champions League MCFC v Red Star Belgrade

Alvarez netted a second on the hour mark when his free-kick from the left evaded everyone and flew past ‘keeper Omri Glazer. Rodri did what Rodri does best when he sent a curling strike into the net after 73 minutes. It was another classic, just like the final in Istanbul.

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/manchester-city-red-star-belgrade-highlights-63830758

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

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4-4 at Chelsea X 2

It’s Manchester City at Chelsea this weekend. Last season that same fixture ended in a 4-4 draw and this was heralded as a great game by the Sky TV pundits. As fans, these sort of games never feel like great games at the time but neutrals obviously love them. For fans of the teams involved they tend to feel like opportunities lost or maybe great comebacks depending on which side you support. Immediately after the game last year I was asked when City’s previous 4-4 draw was and I spent a few minutes thinking ‘I’ve never seen one before involving City, or have I?’ So, I then started to scour the material in my collection and was somewhat surprised to find it was against Grimsby in September 1950! Certainly many, many years before I was born.

My favourite goal in last season’s match at Chelsea was the one Haaland scored with his er… um… er… shorts area. The City scorers were: Haaland (25 minutes pen, 47 minutes),  Akanji (45+1 minutes),  Rodri (86 minutes) and for Chelsea (including two City old boys): Thiago Silva (29 minutes),  Sterling (37 minutes),  Jackson (67 minutes),  Palmer (90+5minutes pen)

Incredibly last season’s game wasn’t the first time City had drawn 4-4 at Chelsea and, coincidentally I’d tweeted about this before last year’s match. I never expected history to repeat itself. You can read about the earlier match via the link below. Incidentally, the game was in 1936-37 and City won the title that year – as they did in 2023-24!

Chelsea 4 Manchester City 4

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

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Record Holder: Johnson’s 38th League Goal

Today (4 May) in 1929 the legendary Tommy Johnson netted his 38th League goal of the season at Anfield when City drew 1-1 with Liverpool. This remains Manchester City’s record number of goals by a player in a League season (Haaland scored 36 League goals in 2022-23). Johnson’s 38th goal came in the 22nd minute of the final game. Here for subscribers is a detailed look at Tommy’s record and his life.

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Haaland’s 35th

On this day (3 May) in 2023 it was a privilege being at the Etihad to see Erling Haaland break the Premier League’s seasonal goalscoring record with City’s second in their 3-0 victory over West Ham United. He netted his 35th Premier League goal of the season and then Phil Foden scored the 1000th goal of Pep’s City reign.

Ths South Stand pre-match, City v West Ham 3 May 2023. The new Pep flag.

Haaland’s goal that night meant that only 47 players had scored more competitive goals for City than Haaland had in the club’s entire history – that’s in their entire careers, not in most of one season! Also, it’s worth highlighting that Haaland had netted 5% of the 1000 goals scored under Pep at City. Phenomenal stuff!

I said it then and I’ll say it now, it’s always great for a historian to experience history being made. Nice work Haaland and City!

After the game Haaland was given a guard of honour by the City players, boss Pep Guardiola and the club’s backroom staff. Afterwards the player commented: ‘It was a nice feeling scoring that goal, it always is… It was painful when everyone hit me on the back in the guard of honour.’

Manager Pep commented: ‘He’s just 22… and still has five games left. How many games I made the substitution after a hat-trick in 60 minutes, maybe he’d have scored more. But maybe he’d have got injured. He’s special. Congratulations to him.

‘We expected him to score goals but to break Cole and Shearer records… I’m pretty sure what he wants is to win the Premier League.’

‘It’s unbelievable. How many important goals he’s scored to win games, we are so satisfied. He’s a unique person and he’s so special. He deserved the guard of honour because it’s an incredible milestone. Another day he might break his own record. He’s scored a lot of goals!’

Looking towards the South Stand pre-match, City v West Ham 3 May 2023 (West Ham fans unusually did not sell out their allocation)

50 Goals in a Season

On this day (30 April) in 2023 Erling Haaland became the first Manchester City player ever to score 50 goals in a season when he scored a 3rd minute penalty (awarded for a foul on Alvarez) against Fulham. Haaland converted the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner. Not only was this his 50th competitive goal of the season but it was also his 34th Premier League goal, which equalled the record seasonal Premier League tally. The record had been held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.

City ended up winning the game 2-1 with World Cup winner Julian Alvarez scoring the second for the Blues with a 25 yard strike in the 36th minute. That victory put City top, overtaking Arsenal. The Blues were on 76 points from 32 games while Arsenal were a point behind and had played one further game.

After the match manager Pep Guardiola was told by a journalist that Haaland had now scored the most goals by a top-flight player for 92 years (Tom ‘Pongo’ Waring reached 50 for Aston Villa in 1930-31) when Ramsay MacDonald was the Prime Minister. Pep responded: ‘Before Winston Churchill was prime minister? Wow. Sounds a long time ago.’

He added: ‘Congratulations to Erling. The best goals to help us achieve what we want is still [to come] there. I was really impressed that he took the penalty with the strong mentality he has.’

Haaland Five v Leipzig

On this day (14 March) in 2023 Erling Haaland scored five against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League. It was a phenomenal performance, coming in Manchester City’s 7-0 (8-1 on aggregate) thrashing of the German side.

When asked about the goals afterwards City manager Pep Guardiola commented: ‘Five goals… The problem for this guy is if he doesn’t score two or three goals he will be criticised.’ That just about summed things up well as for weeks prior to this Haaland, despite his incredible record was often criticised by some in the media. For example, the former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher had been critical in February 2023: ‘I’ve felt this season when he’s scored his goals, I think we’ve only seen 60 per cent of Haaland. You think of that goal he scored on the first game of the season against West Ham, the space in behind, he makes that run.’

‘I know that’s not there that often with the way City play. He’s come from a league and Borussia Dortmund where it’s a counter-attacking league and it’s end to end and you see that blistering pace. You don’t see it. He may have actually picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him.’

No one connected with Manchester City was feeling like that, especially not as Leipzig were thrashed.

Haaland’s display against Leipzig took him to 39 goals for the season in all competitions. This is a new City club record for the most strikes in a single season, beating Tommy Johnson’s record established in 1928-29 when he scored 38 in 40 League and cup games. Haaland achieved the record in 36 games. You can read about Tommy Johnson here:

MANCHESTER CITY – HALL OF FAME: Tommy Johnson

Other records tumbled that night too. Haaland’s five against Leipzig equalled the record for the most goals in a Champions League game. His achievements matched Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012, and Luiz Adriano for Shakhtar Donetsk against BATE Borisov in 2014.

After Leipzig, Haaland had scored 33 goals in 25 Champions League games, becoming the youngest player to cross the 30-goal mark at 22 years and 236 days old, 116 days younger than previous recorder holder Kylian Mbappe.

Haaland had netted 10 in the competition by the end of the Leipzig game that was better than any City player had previously managed in a single campaign in the Champions League… and of course the campaign was not over!

After the match Haaland told BT Sport: ‘My super strength is scoring goals. A lot of it is being quick in the mind and trying to put it where the goalkeeper is not…

‘I was so tired after my celebrations.’