Erling Haaland is one goal away from joining the Premier League 100 Club in record-breaking time, but could he also become the first player to score 100 goals in a single season?
That might sound like an outrageous question, given that even the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have never recorded a seasonal century.
However, the numbers suggest it is entirely plausible that Haaland could get to 100 goals in 2025/26 if he stays free of injury and continues scoring at his current rate.
Erling Haaland’s stunning start to 2025/26
Erling Haaland has scored 32 goals in his first 20 games for Manchester City and Norway this season.
He has found the net at least once in 18 of those 20 matches, while he has scored two or more in 50% of his appearances.
| Haaland Mins |
Haaland Goals |
|
|---|---|---|
| Wolves 0-4 MAN CITY | 73 | 2 |
| MAN CITY 0-2 Spurs | 90 | 0 |
| Brighton 2-1 MAN CITY | 90 | 1 |
| NORWAY 1-0 Finland | 45 | 1 |
| NORWAY 11-1 Moldova | 89 | 5 |
| MAN CITY 3-0 Man Utd | 87 | 2 |
| MAN CITY 2-0 Napoli | 80 | 1 |
| Arsenal 1-1 MAN CITY | 76 | 1 |
| MAN CITY 5-1 Burnley | 90 | 2 |
| Monaco 2-2 MAN CITY | 90 | 2 |
| Brentford 0-1 MAN CITY | 90 | 1 |
| NORWAY 5-0 Israel | 90 | 3 |
| MAN CITY 2-0 Everton | 90 | 2 |
| Villarreal 0-2 MAN CITY | 86 | 1 |
| Aston Villa 1-0 MAN CITY | 90 | 0 |
| MAN CITY 3-1 Bournemouth | 82 | 2 |
| MAN CITY 4-1 Dortmund | 86 | 1 |
| MAN CITY 3-0 Liverpool | 90 | 1 |
| NORWAY 4-1 Estonia | 90 | 2 |
| Italy 1-4 NORWAY | 89 | 2 |
Erling Haaland is averaging 1.6 goals per game
Having scored 32 times in his first 20 matches for Man City and Norway this season, Erling Haaland is currently averaging 1.6 goals per game.
If he were to continue scoring at that rate all season, then it would take him another 43 matches to reach 100 goals.
City have 27 Premier League matches still to play this season. Depending on their progress in the Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup, their total number of remaining games could be anything from 33 to 50.
At international level, Haaland will likely play two friendlies in March, plus two warm-up games in June ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Norway, who dominated World Cup qualifying with a 100% record, will then play between three and eight at the tournament itself.
Therefore, if he is not afforded any rest between now and the end of the 2025/26 campaign, Haaland could potentially feature in another 62 matches.
In the very unlikely scenario that Haaland were to play another 62 times this season and maintain his current rate of 1.6 goals per game, then he would end up with an unprecedented total of 131 goals.
A graph charting how many more games Erling Haaland might need to play this season in order to hit the 100-goal mark (based on him maintaining his current scoring rate)
2025/26 almost certain to be Erling Haaland’s most prolific season
The dream of scoring 100 goals in a season — although it is definitely possible — is still a long shot for Erling Haaland.
However, while his final tally may be hard to predict precisely, it is almost certain that the 2025/26 campaign will end up being Haaland’s most prolific to date, unless it is cruelly cut short by injury.
Right now, 2022/23 is Haaland’s best season in terms of goals scored. That was his first season as a Manchester City player and he netted 52 goals in 53 games for Pep Guardiola’s side, plus a further nine in eight for Norway.
Erling Haaland’s most prolific seasons in terms of goals
- 2022/23: 61 goals in 61 games
- 2020/21: 48 goals in 51 games
- 2023/24: 45 goals in 53 games
- 2024/25: 45 goals in 58 games
How close have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo come to 100 goals in a season?
Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo have ever scored as many as 100 goals in a single season.
Messi’s most prolific campaign to date was 2011/12, when he netted 73 goals in 60 games for Barcelona, plus another two in four for Argentina.
Three years later, in 2014/15, Ronaldo enjoyed the best season of his life when he scored 66 goals in 58 games — 61 in 54 for Real Madrid and five in four for Portugal.
A bar chart comparing the most prolific scoring seasons of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland
Has anyone ever scored 100 goals in a single season?
German forward Ernst Wilimowski scored 107 goals in 45 matches during the 1940/41 season, according to the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
Wilimowski achieved this while playing for Chemnitzer PSV in the regional Gauliga Sachsen division.
No player has yet been recorded as scoring 100 goals in a single season while playing for a club competing in a top national league.
But Erling Haaland has already broken countless records during what is developing into a generational career. If anyone has the tools and opportunity to break the 100 barrier, it is he.
