'I'm just Erling': Haaland's humility has never left him

Erling Haaland sought a clarification. Was he thinking about breaking his record? “I need to ask you which record, then?” he said.

- RICHARD JOLLY

There are a few to choose from: the most goals in a Premier League season; the most in all competitions for an English club in a season since the 1920s; the most in the first 10 games of a Premier League campaign; the fastest to 50 in both the Premier and the Champions League; the most in the history of the Norway national team. So it was best to narrow it down and Haaland, rather than boasting, was merely being inquisitive.

"I am not being arrogant," the Norwegian added and, in his defence, it is worth noting that Pep Guardiola believes his centre-forward has a humility that is rare in a footballer of his calibre. "The Treble season, how many did I have? I had 56 in total with national team so I am in a good way."

Haaland is up to 26 for club and country in a campaign in which only Tottenham and Aston Villa have denied him a goal. And if that included a quintet against Moldova, and Norway's likely progress to the World Cup means it is very likely to prove Haaland's most prolific campaign in his country's colours, in 2022-23, he got 52 for City alone.