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Haaland out-scored Messi and Ronaldo at 21 and could beat their goal totals

talksport.com, 15 June 2022, 07:51
Erling Haaland's goalscoring at the age of 21 is better than that of current legends of the game Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Norwegian sensation was recently unveiled as a Manchester City player after a £51million move from Borussia Dortmund where he couldn't stop finding the net.

Expected to take the Premier League by storm, Haaland has already done so in every competition he's played in, wheeling off in celebration at an astonishing rate.

In his career with Bryne, Molde, Salzburg and Dortmund, the Leeds-born superstar has managed 135 goals in 196 appearances ahead of his 22nd birthday on July 21.

That leaves Haaland at the top of an extraordinary list of modern talent, who have all scored far fewer goals at a much slower rate than City's latest recruit.

Research conducted by SBK shows Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku comes closest to Haaland for goals scored before turning 22 with 102, but his goal per game ratio of 0.39 games is nowhere near the Norwegian's astonishing 0.68.

Only Neymar can rival Haaland in those stakes, scoring a goal every other game for a ratio of 0.50, while teen superstars such as Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are way down on 0.23 and 0.33 respectively.

Many of the names on the list only improved as they got older, which may spark fear in the Premier League's all time top scorer, Alan Shearer, whose 260-goal record would easily be beaten if Haaland continues scoring at his current rate.

Similarly Messi and Ronaldo could be in trouble if Haaland keeps things going into his 30s, with the two all-time greats' incredible scoring records potentially at risk.

Whether Haaland is able to transition into English football and score at the same rate remains to be seen but, right now, we'd suggest the Premier League is going to be fun next season.

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