No footballer has ever scored more goals in a single Premier League season than Erling Haaland, but the player who’s record he broke doesn’t seem too bothered.
Haaland’s remarkable return of 36 goals in 35 Premier League appearances this season has been a key factor in City winning a third consecutive league title.
The 22-year-old will look to add to his tally in City’s final league match of the season against Brentford on Sunday, although he had already broken a long-standing record.
Before Haaland came along, nobody had ever scored more than 34 goals in a single Premier League season.
Andrew Cole – who latterly played for City – set the record in 1993/94 while spear-heading Manchester United’s attack.
The feat was repeated by Alan Shear the following season, as the England star fired Blackburn Rovers to title glory.
However, both of those tallies were achieved in 42-game Premier League seasons, rather than 38.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah set the previous record for a 38-game season when he scored 32 goals in 2017/18.
That Haaland has broken the record in his first season playing in England is impressive.
Some might expect those whose records have fallen to be annoyed, but Cole says that isn’t the case.
“I couldn’t give a f***,” he told MailSport.
“I’m being honest. I’m not anal in any way, shape or form about someone breaking goal-scoring records because records are set to be broken. Now, some people might be p*ssed.
“But people say I must be disappointed. Why? Because someone scored more than me? It’s taken 20 years for someone to get that close.
“Am I going to rock myself to sleep and think, Oh God, someone has broken my record? No, I’ll take my hat off to him. I’ll salute him.
“He’s done it in a team that creates chance after chance. At some stage, your record’s going to be broken.”
