Erling Haaland has had a blistering start to his season for both Manchester City and Norway, bagging a hat-trick for the latter in its FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier win against Israel on Saturday.
The 25-year-old, however, had a rough start to the game after his early penalty was saved by Israel goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, but the referee ordered the spot-kick to be retaken for encroachment inside the area, only for Peretz to parry away Haaland’s second effort.
He still made up for the miss by scoring thrice in Norway’s 5-0 rout and took his tally to 51 international goals while also taking it closer to qualifying for a first World Cup finals since 1998.
ALSO READ | How can Portugal qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026 in this international window?
He also became the fastest player to reach the 50-goal mark on the international stage, doing it in just 46 appearances, well clear of Harry Kane’s record of 71 for England.
List of fastest players to reach 50 international goals:
- Erling Haaland (Norway) – 46
- Harry Kane (England) – 71
- Neymar (Brazil) – 74
- Kylian Mbappé (France) – 90
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland) – 90
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 107
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 114
Published on Oct 12, 2025
