Erling Haaland facts for kids
Haaland with Norway in 2026
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Erling Braut Haaland | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Leeds, West Yorkshire, England | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Manchester City | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2016 | Bryne | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | Bryne 2 | 18 | (18) |
| 2016–2017 | Bryne | 16 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Molde 2 | 4 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Molde | 39 | (14) |
| 2019–2020 | Red Bull Salzburg | 16 | (17) |
| 2020–2022 | Borussia Dortmund | 67 | (62) |
| 2022– | Manchester City | 132 | (112) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Norway U15 | 4 | (4) |
| 2016 | Norway U16 | 17 | (1) |
| 2017 | Norway U17 | 5 | (2) |
| 2017 | Norway U18 | 6 | (6) |
| 2018 | Norway U19 | 6 | (6) |
| 2019 | Norway U20 | 5 | (11) |
| 2018 | Norway U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019– | Norway | 55 | (62) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:40, 19 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:30, 11 July 2026 (UTC) |
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Erling Braut Haaland (born 21 July 2000) is a famous Norwegian footballer. He plays as a striker for the English club Manchester City. He also plays for the Norway national team. Many people think he is one of the best players in the world. He is known for his amazing speed, strength, smart positioning, and powerful shots near the goal.
Haaland started his professional career in Norway with clubs like Bryne and Molde. In 2019, he joined Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. There, he helped his team win the Austrian league and cup. He moved to the German club Borussia Dortmund in 2020. With Dortmund, he won the German Cup in 2021.
In 2022, Haaland joined Manchester City. He quickly became a star, helping the team win the continental treble in his first season. He broke records for most goals in a Premier League season (36). He also scored the most goals by a Premier League player in all competitions in one season (52). For these achievements, he won the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe. He was also named UEFA Men's Player of the Year.
Haaland has also achieved great things for his country. He won the Golden Boot at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He scored a record nine goals in a single match during that tournament. He made his debut for the senior Norway team in 2019. He has since become Norway's all-time top goalscorer. He is one of only a few players to score 50 international goals in fewer than 50 games.
Contents
Early Life and Childhood
Erling Braut Haaland was born on 21 July 2000 in Leeds, England. His father, Alf-Inge Haaland, was also a footballer playing for Leeds United at the time. Because of this, Erling grew up supporting Leeds. In 2004, when he was three years old, his family moved back to Bryne, Norway. This was his parents' hometown.
His mother, Gry Marita Braut, was a national champion in heptathlon in Norway. Besides football, Erling enjoyed many other sports as a child. These included handball, golf, and track and field. He even set a world record for his age group in the standing long jump. When he was five, he jumped 1.63 meters!
Club Football Journey
Starting at Bryne
Haaland began playing football at age five with his local club, Bryne. He played for Bryne's reserve team, Bryne 2, in 2015 and 2016. During this time, he scored an impressive 18 goals in 18 matches. In May 2016, he made his first team debut for Bryne. He was just three months shy of his 16th birthday.
He started as a winger but soon moved to his preferred role as a striker. Even though he didn't score in his first season with Bryne, his talent was clear. He played 16 senior games for the club before moving on.
Moving to Molde
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In February 2017, 16-year-old Haaland signed with Molde. He scored on his debut in a Norwegian Cup match. His first league goal came in August, a winning goal against Tromsø IL. He finished his first season with four goals in 20 games.
In July 2018, Haaland scored four goals in just 21 minutes against Brann. This amazing performance helped Molde win 4–0. His manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, compared him to Romelu Lukaku. Haaland ended the 2018 season as Molde's top scorer with 16 goals in 30 matches. He also won the Eliteserien Breakthrough of the Year award.
Success at Red Bull Salzburg
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Haaland joined Red Bull Salzburg in Austria in January 2019. He quickly showed his goal-scoring ability. In July, he scored his first hat-trick for the club in a cup game. He followed this with another hat-trick in the league in August.
In September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut. He scored three goals in the first half against Genk, a truly incredible start! He became the only player to score a first-half hat-trick on his Champions League debut. He continued to score in his next Champions League matches. He became the first teenager to score in his first four games in the competition. Haaland left Salzburg with 29 goals in just 27 appearances.
Shining at Borussia Dortmund
In December 2019, Haaland signed with German club Borussia Dortmund. He made his debut on 18 January 2020. Coming on as a substitute, he scored a hat-trick in just 23 minutes! This helped Dortmund win 5–3. He became only the second player in Dortmund's history to score three goals on his Bundesliga debut.
He continued his scoring spree, becoming the first Bundesliga player to score seven goals in his first three matches. In the UEFA Champions League, he scored both goals in Dortmund's 2–1 win against Paris Saint-Germain. He finished his first season with 44 goals in 40 club games for both Salzburg and Dortmund.
In the 2020–21 season, Haaland scored four goals in 32 minutes against Hertha BSC. He also became the fastest player to reach 15 Champions League goals, doing so in just 12 matches. He scored twice in the 2021 DFB-Pokal final, helping Dortmund win the cup. He ended the season as the Champions League top scorer with 10 goals. He was also named the Bundesliga Player of the Season.
The 2021–22 season saw Haaland start with a hat-trick in the German Cup. He scored his 50th Bundesliga goal in November 2021. This made him the fastest and youngest player to reach this milestone. In May 2022, Dortmund announced Haaland would join Manchester City. He scored in his final home game for Dortmund, saying goodbye to the fans.
Record-Breaking Seasons at Manchester City
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Manchester City announced Haaland's signing in May 2022. He officially joined on 1 July 2022. He made his league debut on 7 August, scoring two goals against West Ham United. Just weeks later, he scored his first Premier League hat-trick. He then scored a second hat-trick four days later. This made him the fastest player to score two Premier League hat-tricks.
On 2 October, Haaland scored a hat-trick in the Manchester derby against Manchester United. This was his third consecutive home hat-trick, a Premier League first! He also became the quickest player to score three Premier League hat-tricks, doing it in just eight games. In March 2023, he scored five goals in a Champions League match against RB Leipzig. This tied the record for most goals in a single Champions League game. He also broke the club record for most goals in a single season for Manchester City.
Haaland continued to break records. He scored his 35th league goal in May 2023. This surpassed the record for most goals in a single Premier League season. He won the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year awards. Manchester City won the Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. Haaland finished as the top scorer in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
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The 2023–24 season started with Haaland scoring two goals against Burnley. He also helped City win the 2023 UEFA Super Cup. He became the fastest player to reach 100 league goals in Europe's top 5 leagues. In September, he scored his seventh club hat-trick against Fulham. This made him the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League goal involvements. He won the Gerd Müller Trophy for being the top goal scorer for club and country. In November, he became the fastest player to score 50 Premier League goals, doing so in just 48 games. He secured his second consecutive Premier League Golden Boot with 27 goals.
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In the 2024–25 season, Haaland scored his first hat-trick against Ipswich Town in August. He then scored another hat-trick against West Ham United. This tied him with Harry Kane for the most Premier League hat-tricks by an active player. He also broke the record for most goals in the first three Premier League matches of a season. In September, he matched Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 100 goals for a single club in Europe's top five leagues. In January 2025, Haaland signed a new contract with Manchester City until 2034. He also became the fastest player to reach 100 goal involvements in the Premier League. He finished the Premier League season with 22 goals. In June 2025, he scored his 300th career goal in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The 2025–26 season saw Haaland score twice in City's first league match. In August, he became the player with the most goals (88) in his first 100 Premier League matches. In September, he scored two goals in the Manchester derby. He also became the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the Champions League, doing so in 49 matches. In December 2025, Haaland became the fastest player to reach 100 goals in the Premier League. He achieved this milestone in just 111 appearances. He finished the season with 27 goals, winning his third Golden Boot award.
International Career for Norway
Youth Team Success
Haaland played for Norway at different youth levels. In 2018, he scored a hat-trick for the Norway under-19 team. This helped them qualify for the European Under-19 Championship. In May 2019, Haaland scored an incredible nine goals for the Norway under-20 team. This happened in a 12–0 win against Honduras at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This was a new record for most goals by a single player in a U-20 World Cup match. Even though Norway was eliminated early, Haaland won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer.
Senior Team Debut and Records
Haaland made his debut for the senior Norway team on 5 September 2019. He scored his first international goal in September 2020 against Austria. Three days later, he scored two goals against Northern Ireland. In October, he scored his first international hat-trick against Romania.
In September 2021, Haaland scored five goals in three World Cup qualification matches. This included another hat-trick against Gibraltar. He was the joint-top scorer in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League. In October 2023, his two goals against Cyprus made him Norway's second-highest all-time top scorer. In June 2024, he scored his third international hat-trick against Kosovo.
On 10 October 2024, Haaland scored twice against Slovenia. He reached 34 international goals, becoming Norway's all-time top scorer at just 24 years old. In November, he scored his fourth international hat-trick against Kazakhstan. This helped Norway get promoted to the top division of the Nations League.
First FIFA World Cup Appearance
In June 2025, Haaland scored in Norway's World Cup qualifying win against Italy. This was Norway's first victory over Italy in 25 years. In September, he scored five goals and assisted two more in an 11–1 win over Moldova. He became the first male European player to score five goals in a World Cup qualifier since 1977. In October, he scored a hat-trick against Israel. This made him the fastest player in the 21st century to reach 50 international goals.
In November 2025, Haaland scored twice against Italy. This secured Norway's place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It was Norway's first World Cup appearance since 1998. He finished the qualifying campaign with 16 goals, scoring in all eight of Norway's matches.
Haaland made his FIFA World Cup debut on 16 June 2026 against Iraq. He scored two goals and was named Player of the Match. In Norway's second group match, he scored two more goals against Senegal. This made him Norway's all-time top scorer at the World Cup. He also helped Norway qualify for the knockout stage. In the Round of 32, Haaland scored the winning goal against Ivory Coast. This made him the first Norwegian player to score in each of his first three World Cup matches. On 5 July, he scored two goals against Brazil, leading Norway to their first World Cup quarter-final. In the quarter-finals against England, Norway lost 2-1.
Player Profile
How Erling Haaland Plays
Haaland is an amazing goal scorer and is seen as one of the best players of his time. He is a complete centre forward. He uses his tall and strong body to hold the ball and involve his teammates. He is very fast and makes smart runs behind defenders. He can dribble, create chances, and score with both feet and his head.
He often drops deeper to collect the ball and help his team build attacks. He then quickly turns and sprints towards the goal. In the penalty area, he makes quick, sharp movements to find open space. This makes him very hard for defenders to mark.
Haaland uses his strength well when he has his back to the goal. He protects the ball under pressure. His creativity shines when he moves into the left side of the field. While he always looks to shoot, he also has the vision to pass to teammates making late runs. His ability to run with the ball at speed helps create chances, especially on counter-attacks. Even though he doesn't touch the ball as much as some strikers, his calm play and smart movement greatly help his team.
Haaland looks up to famous players like Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo. He also finds inspiration in players like Michu, Jamie Vardy, Sergio Agüero, and Robin van Persie. He has said that Virgil van Dijk and Sergio Ramos are two of the toughest defenders he has played against.
After scoring a goal, Haaland often performs a "meditation" celebration. He sits in the lotus position. This celebration has even been included in the FIFA video games.
Personal Life
Family and Name
Erling Haaland's father, Alfie Haaland, was a former footballer. His mother, Gry Marita Braut, was a former heptathlete. He comes from a football-loving family on his mother's side. His cousins, Jonatan Braut Brunes, Emma Braut Brunes, and Albert Braut Tjåland, are also professional footballers.
He changed the spelling of his last name from Håland to Haaland in 2019. He did this to make it easier for international fans to pronounce and spell. While his Manchester City shirts say "Haaland," his Norway jersey shows "Braut Haaland." In Norwegian culture, it is common to use both maternal and paternal names in a surname.
In December 2024, Haaland and his partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen welcomed their first child, a son.
Other Interests
In December 2025, Haaland and his father bought a rare book at an auction. It was a 1594 edition of Snorri Sturluson's chronicles. This book tells the history of medieval Norse kings. They paid 1.3 million Norwegian kroner, a record for a book sale in Norway. Haaland donated the book to his hometown library. He wanted local people to learn about historical figures from their area.
Haaland is also set to make his voice acting debut in a movie. He will play a Viking, also named Haaland, in the animated film ViQueens. The movie is expected to be released around Christmas 2026. The director, Harald Zwart, said that Erling has become a "real-life Viking icon."
Haaland practices meditation.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bryne 2 | 2015 | 3. divisjon | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | ||||
| 2016 | 3. divisjon | 13 | 16 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 16 | |||||
| Total | 18 | 18 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 18 | ||||||
| Bryne | 2016 | 1. divisjon | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Molde 2 | 2017 | 3. divisjon | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Molde | 2017 | Eliteserien | 14 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | 20 | 4 | |||
| 2018 | Eliteserien | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 4 | — | 30 | 16 | |||
| Total | 39 | 14 | 6 | 2 | — | 5 | 4 | — | 50 | 20 | ||||
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2018–19 | Austrian Bundesliga | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Austrian Bundesliga | 14 | 16 | 2 | 4 | — | 6 | 8 | — | 22 | 28 | |||
| Total | 16 | 17 | 4 | 4 | — | 7 | 8 | — | 27 | 29 | ||||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 18 | 16 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 28 | 27 | 4 | 3 | — | 8 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 41 | ||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 24 | 22 | 2 | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 29 | ||
| Total | 67 | 62 | 7 | 8 | — | 13 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 89 | 86 | |||
| Manchester City | 2022–23 | Premier League | 35 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 52 |
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 31 | 27 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 38 | |
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 31 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 48 | 34 | |
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 35 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 8 | — | 52 | 38 | ||
| Total | 132 | 112 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 39 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 198 | 162 | ||
| Career total | 292 | 225 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 64 | 61 | 10 | 4 | 402 | 317 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 9 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 11 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 17 | |
| 2026 | 7 | 7 | |
| Total | 55 | 62 | |
Achievements and Honours
Red Bull Salzburg
- Austrian Bundesliga: 2018–19
- Austrian Cup: 2018–19
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: 2020–21
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2022–23, 2023–24
- FA Cup: 2022–23, 2025–26
- EFL Cup: 2025–26
- FA Community Shield: 2024
- UEFA Champions League: 2022–23
- UEFA Super Cup: 2023
Individual
- European Golden Shoe: 2022–23
- UEFA Men's Player of the Year: 2022–23
- UEFA Champions League top scorer: 2020–21, 2022–23
- Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2020–21
- Premier League Player of the Season: 2022–23
- Premier League Golden Boot: 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26
- Premier League Fan Team of the Season: 2023–24, 2025–26
- FIFA Men's World 11: 2024
- Eliteserien Breakthrough of the Year: 2018
- ESPN Striker of the Year: 2022–23
- Austrian Footballer of the Year: 2019
- Austrian Breakthrough of the year: 2019–20
- Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2019–20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Boot: 2019
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2019
- Bundesliga Player of the Month: January 2020, November 2020, April 2021, August 2021
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Month: January 2020, February 2020
- Bundesliga Goal of the Month: September 2021
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2020–21, 2021–22
- VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 2022–23
- Premier League Young Player of the Season: 2022–23
- Premier League Player of the Month: August 2022, April 2023, August 2024, September 2025
- PFA Premier League Fans' Player of the Month: August 2022, September 2022, December 2022
- ESM Team of the Year: 2019–20 2022–23
- IFFHS Men's World Youth (U20) Team: 2020
- Golden Boy: 2020
- Golden Player Man Award: 2023
- Gullballen: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Kniksen's honour award: 2020
- Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year: 2020, 2025
- UEFA Champions League Squad/Team of the Season: 2020–21, 2022–23
- UEFA Champions League Forward of the Season: 2020–21
- UEFA Nations League top scorer: 2020–21, 2022–23
- FIFPRO Men's World 11: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- IFFHS Men's World Team: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
- IFFHS Men's UEFA Team: 2024
- Manchester City Player of the Season: 2022–23
- PFA Team of the Year: 2022–23 Premier League, 2023–24 Premier League
- PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2022–23
- Gerd Müller Trophy: 2023
- Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year: 2023
- The Guardian Best Footballer in the World: 2023
- World Soccer Player of the Year: 2023
- FourFourTwo Player of the Year: 2022, 2023
- BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year: 2023
- IFFHS World's Best Player: 2023
- IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer: 2025
- Onze d'Or: 2022–23
- Idrettsgallaen Name of the year: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Erling Haaland para niños
