As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws another week closer, another star player that is coming to the Meadowlands this summer is being put into the spotlight. The player being looked at this week is Erling Haaland, a striker for Norway. Haaland is widely considered to be one of the greatest soccer players in the world and one of the most prolific scorers.
Haaland’s life has revolved around the sport from a young age, as he joined the academy of his hometown club, Bryne, at the age of five. Haaland remained with the organization until 2016, where he made 16 senior appearances.
In 2017, Norwegian club Molde announced the signing of Haaland. He finished his first year with the team recording four goals in 20 appearances. In his second season, he received the Eliteserien Breakthrough of the Year award for his improvements. He finished the season as Molde’s top goalscorer, recording 16 goals in 30 appearances.
Haaland’s talents had now brought the eyes of some of the world’s biggest clubs onto him. In the summer of 2018, Red Bull Salzburg, one of the top teams in the Austrian Bundesliga, signed Haaland to a five-year contract. Haaland made his Champions League debut with the club, where he scored three goals in the first half against Genk, becoming the only player to score a first-half hat-trick in his Champions League debut. In the two following matches, he proceeded to record a goal against Liverpool and two against Napoli, becoming the second teenager in the competition’s history to score in his first three matches. In just 12 starts in the Austrian Bundesliga, Haaland scored 17 goals before departing from Red Bull Salzburg.
Towards the end of 2019, Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund signed Haaland to a four-and-a-half-year contract. In his debut with the club, he recorded a hat-trick against FC Augsburg in just 23 minutes, emphasizing the immense talent that he brought to the club.
During his time at Borussia Dortmund, Haaland earned the honors of Bundesliga Player of the Month twice for his outstanding achievements. As the team made its way to the Champions League, Haaland continued to make history, becoming the fastest and youngest player to reach 20 goals in the competition. Haaland was the Champions League’s top scorer for the season with 10 goals, drawing even more global attention.
In 2022, Haaland joined Premier League club Manchester City on a five-year contract. In his Premier League debut, he scored twice against West Ham United, showing that his scoring abilities had no difficulty translating to a new team. Just under three weeks later, Haaland recorded his first league hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Crystal Palace. Four days later, he recorded another hat-trick, becoming the fastest player in Premier League history to score two hat-tricks. His feat earned him the honor of Premier League Player of the Month in his first month with the club.
In his first season with Manchester City, the club won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, becoming the second English club to win all in the same season. Haaland’s historic performance undoubtedly had a significant impact on the club’s success. Haaland was the top goalscorer once again for the Champions League, becoming the only player besides Lionel Messi to accomplish that feat before turning 23.
After setting the record for most goals in a Premier League season in his debut, scoring 36 goals in 35 appearances, Haaland had a lot to live up to in his sophomore season with the club. However, he lived up to the hype, becoming the top goalscorer in the Premier League for a second season, scoring 27 goals in 31 matches.
Haaland’s success with Manchester City has continued over the past few seasons, as he further solidifies himself as one of the greatest goalscorers in Premier League history. Recently, on Dec. 2, 2025, Haaland recorded his 100th Premier League goal, breaking the record for the least amount of appearances needed to accomplish the feat.
Haaland was born in Leeds, which qualified him to compete for England’s team, however, he chose to play for Norway. The other-worldly scoring feats accomplished by Haaland were just as present in international competition, as he scored five goals in three FIFA World Cup qualification matches in 2021. However, the team was unable to qualify for that year’s tournament.
For the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, Haaland finished as joint-top scorer for the competition. Haaland currently stands as Norway’s top goalscorer and will only continue to widen the gap as he competes more. A few months ago, on Oct. 11, 2025, Haaland broke Harry Kane’s record, becoming the fastest player to score 50 international goals, doing so in 25 fewer matches.
With Haaland’s help, Norway qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the nation’s first appearance since 1998. Norway will be coming to MetLife Stadium on Jun. 22, 2026, as the team faces off against Senegal.