Player profile
Erling Haaland
Forward · Manchester City
Erling Haaland is Manchester City's record-signing striker and Norway's captain, whose late brace against Brazil at the 2026 World Cup sent Norway into its first-ever quarterfinal and ended a 30-year absence from the tournament.
Career
Haaland has been Manchester City's leading striker since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, and in January 2025 signed a contract extension running to 2034 — the longest deal in Premier League history.
For Norway, he finished the World Cup qualifying campaign as the leading scorer in the entire UEFA section with 16 goals, ending the country's near three-decade wait for a World Cup appearance and arriving at the 2026 tournament with 62 international goals in 54 caps.
How they play
A physically dominant, one-touch finisher whose game is built almost entirely around movement inside the penalty area rather than build-up play — he scores the vast majority of his goals from inside the box, converting half-chances other strikers don't reach.
At 194cm his aerial threat is a genuine weapon, as shown against Brazil, where the opening goal of a career-defining night came from a header in the 79th minute.
Where they are now
At the 2026 World Cup, Haaland sat joint-top of the Golden Boot standings with seven goals, level with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, and arrived at the tournament having scored 27 goals in his previous 14 games for club and country.
Norway reached the quarterfinals for the first time in the nation's history after Haaland's brace eliminated five-time champions Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16 on July 5, 2026, setting up a quarterfinal against England.
Bio
Club career
- Manchester City F.C.2022
- Borussia Dortmund2020–2022
- FC Red Bull Salzburg2019–2020
- Molde FK2017–2019
- Bryne FK2016–2017
International career
- Norway men's national association football teamSince 2019Current
Youth caps: U20 (2019) · U21 (2018)
Honours
- Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year2025
- FWA Footballer of the Year2023
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award2023
- Gullballen2023
- Aftenposten Gold Medal2020
- Kniksen's Honorary Award2020
- Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year2020
- European Golden Shoe
- Onze d'Or
- FIFPRO
- DFB-Pokal
Defining moments
The brace that beat Brazil2026
Haaland was quiet for most of the Round of 16 match before heading in the opening goal in the 79th minute and adding a second before full time, eliminating five-time champions Brazil 2-1 and sending Norway into its first-ever World Cup quarterfinal. He called it "a night that will be remembered forever in every Norwegian home."
Longest contract in Premier League history2025
Haaland signed a contract extension with Manchester City in January 2025 running until 2034 — the longest deal ever handed out in the Premier League, underlining the club's long-term plan to build around him.
Latest season stats (ESPN)
In our archive
We haven’t archived a match featuring this player yet — appearances appear here the moment we cover one.
Sources
- ESPN athlete profileJul 18, 2026
- WikidataJul 18, 2026
- Player photo — MichaelEmilioCC BY 4.0
Read for this profile
- Al Jazeera — Haaland rewrites history by carrying Norway into World Cup quarterfinalsJuly 31, 2026
- FIFA.com — Norway's road so farJuly 31, 2026
Profile written / last reviewed July 31, 2026.
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