Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has been making headlines since July 2022 when he arrived in London as the club’s new number 9. His most recent milestone has been nothing short of extra ordinary, especially because it touched on the exploits of one man: Cristiano Ronaldo. The Man City striker hit 50 Champions League goals after his goal against Napoli on Thursday, September 18.
The Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate will rage till we all grow old and die. However, one thing is certain: they are number one and number two, in whatever order you choose. Most especially, Ronaldo is referred to as the “King of the UEFA Champions League” and for valid reasons. The now 40 year-old Al Nassr player has scored the most Champions league goals. Ever.
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Haaland reaches 50 goals with lightening speed
Haaland has now redefined what “madness” is, in terms of goal scoring. The Man City No. 9 hit 50 Champions League goals, in just 49 games! This is near unthinkable because not only did he get to that tally quicker than any other player (past or present), he made “Mr. Champions League” himself, look slow.
Ronaldo reached 50 goals in…91 games. This puts Haaland’s numbers in context. Haaland needed 42 fewer games to get there. Ronaldo’s record 141 goals – in 183 games – may look like child’s play when Haaland gets to 183 games. That statistic also means that Ronaldo had to keep up a crazily consistent scoring rate in the 92 games he played after hitting the 50-goal mark.
Why is this impressive? Goalscoring Ratio.
Haaland’s numbers are mind-bending not just because he makes Ronaldo’s look ordinary, but because Ronaldo’s numbers are stunning on their own. In football, scoring a goal every two games, or 0.5 goals per game, is what you’d expect from an elite forward. Ronaldo? He scored 0.77 goals per game. He’s not called the King of the Champions League just because he has the most, he’s called that because he had to maintain a ridiculous scoring rate to get to 141.
This is why Haaland is trending, because he has maintained a staggering 1.02 goals per game so far. To put those numbers in context, he’d hit 100 goals in the next 49 games if he keeps this up. By the way, how many players have ever hit 100 Champions League goals? Yeah you guessed right: Messi and Ronaldo.
It gets more impressive for Haaland, because even those legends reached 100 goals in 123 and 137 games respectively. Haaland could reach that bus stop before he plays 100 games.
What does this mean for football fans?
Fans have looked at Messi and Ronaldo as outliers for decades, sure that no one will ever attain those heights, but Haaland is showing that he’s likely to, and may even get there much quicker.
Should the Norwegian striker get to 100 goals faster than the best to ever do it, it’d reshape how fans think about football excellence. Haaland’s fanbase is growing fast, and this is why.
Why are more Nigerians now identifying with Haaland?
Nigerian football fandom is filled with many Ronaldo and Messi fans, unsurprisingly. Ronaldo’s time at Real Madrid created a number of die-hard fans there. This was after he built an equally strong following at Manchester United. Messi spent 21 years at FC Barcelona, being the face of the club for about 18 of them. These two redefined what we knew as excellence in football, with both players sharing 13 Ballon d’Or awards between themselves.
This led to many Nigerians identifying with one or the other, often putting their favourite against any new world beaters that stepped onto the scene. In 2022, Haaland was being compared to Messi and Ronaldo, mainly to prove that he’d never get to those heights.
Now? He’s being compared to them again in Nigerian football discourse, but this time, it’s with the realization that it’s not just hype, he is the real deal.
Haaland is likely to inspire more people, not just to watch football, but to get into the sports industry.
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