Erling Haaland’s hat-trick for Norway on Saturday night saw him reach 50 international goals in fewer appearances than Brazil legend Pelé.
Haaland’s admission that he is feeling better than ever before is backed up by the stats. At club level, the Manchester City striker has 12 goals from just nine games and he added three more strikes in a 5–0 victory over Israel on Saturday.
His second goal on the night was Haaland’s 50th for Norway, coming in just his 46th appearance for his country.
By reaching the half-century, Haaland became just the sixth male footballer to ever reach 50 international goals in fewer than 50 appearances, and the first to do so in 53 years.
He moves into fifth on the rankings, climbing ahead of Brazilian icon Pelé, who needed 49 games to record his 50th goal.
While that comparison is impressive on its own, Haaland’s return in relation to both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the same stage of their international careers is staggering. After 46 international appearances, Ronaldo had 17 goals for Portugal, while Messi had only netted 13 times for Argentina.
“There are no words to describe him,” Norway assistant Kent Bergersen proclaimed. “There are no words that can do him justice. He scores goals in every possible way.”
Teammate Alexander Sørloth added: “You think you’ve seen everything, but he just gets better and better. There’s nothing he can’t do. His statistics are unbelievable.”
Haaland could have even had more goals on the night. He saw a first-half penalty saved before the referee ordered a retake, which the City striker once again failed to convert. “I discovered that he’s from the same planet as the rest of us,” manager Ståle Solbakken laughed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Erling Haaland Beats Pele Goal Record With Norway Hat-Trick.
