Man City’s Erling Haaland has done something even Cristiano Ronaldo has not in the Nations League

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Erling Haaland looks like he in the form of his life, having scored a stunning hat-trick for Norway in their 5-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan.

Just recently, Haaland scored a brace in his country’s 3-0 win against Slovenia, kicking off his time away from Manchester City duties in style.

The 24-year-old’s first goal was a demonstration of his predatory instincts, tapping the ball into the back of the net after Antonio Nusa’s initial effort was parried into his path.

The Manchester City striker’s second goal was an expertly-taken header as he was left unmarked at the back post and found free inside the box by a pinpoint cross from Nusa.

The strike that sealed the Norwegian’s treble of goals was a well-taken shot from the edge of the box with his right foot that nestled into the bottom corner.

Scoring five goals in two outings for Norway, Haaland is heading back to the Etihad Stadium in brilliant touch ahead of City side’s difficult run of games.

• READ MORE: Who is Erling Haaland? Step into the world of Man City’s record-crushing goal machine

Erling Haaland is the all-time top goalscorer in the Nations League

Pep Guardiola would have been ecstatic to witness his star striker score his third hat-trick of the 2024/2025 season.

In Manchester City’s upcoming clash against Tottenham Hotspur, Guardiola will be counting on the former Borussia Dortmund goalscorer to replicate his recent displays at international level.

With his latest exploits against Kazakhstan, Haaland has become the all-time top goalscorer in the UEFA Nations League with 19 goals — outscoring Aleksandar Mitrovic (15), Cristiano Ronaldo (12), Vedat Muriqi (10) and Romelu Lukaku.

Considering Ronaldo spearheads one of the best teams in international football in Portugal, he would have been expected to be at the top of the goalscoring charts.

However, Haaland’s goalscoring exploits in the competition are second to none.

Despite Martin Odegaard’s continued absence as he is still returning to full match-sharpness, the two-time Premier League seems to be thriving by wearing Norway’s armband.

Haaland vs Ronaldo Nations League stat comparison

Ronaldo remains one of the most prolific goalscorers at international level.

The 39-year-old’s latest brace in Portugal’s 5-1 demolition job of Poland is indicative of how effective he can still be.

Yet, the treble-winner has managed to outscore him in the competition. Here is a statistical comparison of both strikers in the Nations League.

Both Haaland and Ronaldo have played 16 games in the Nations League.

Yet, the City hero has managed to score seven more goals than him in the competition.

While Ronaldo might not be at the peak of his powers, he still manages to do the business at international level and Haaland’s goalscoring record in the tournament indicates how special a striker he is.