Erling Haaland can now call himself the top scorer of the past season after his two goals in the European Championship qualifying match against Cyprus. The Norwegian concludes his dream year (with Manchester City) with 56 goals, two more than Kylian Mbappé for Paris Saint-Germain and France.
Haaland played his final official match of the 2022/23 season with Norway on Tuesday evening. The top scorer of the English Premier League (36 goals) and the Champions League (twelve goals) found the net twice against Cyprus, thus surpassing Mbappé on an unofficial top scorers' list.
With 56 goals for both City and Norway, Haaland is the most prolific player for club and country this season among all players competing in the top five European leagues. Mbappé scored his last goal of the season on Monday in the European Championship qualifying match against Greece, finishing with 54 goals.
Haaland, at 22 years old, is the youngest forward since Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima to finish at the top of this top scorers' list. The Brazilian was twenty years and 280 days old in June 1997 when he scored 62 goals in 66 matches for Barcelona and Brazil during the 1996/97 season.
With a considerable gap behind Haaland and Mbappé, Harry Kane (England and Tottenham Hotspur, forty goals), Lionel Messi (Argentina and PSG, 38 goals), and Robert Lewandowski (Poland and Barcelona, 36 goals) complete the top five.
Euro Championship prospects Haaland will have to perform with Norway in the new season to qualify for a spot in the European Championship in Germany. After Haaland was substituted, Norway lost at home to Scotland on Saturday. Nations League winner Spain is also one of the opponents in Group A. Norway will face Georgia (home), Cyprus (away), and Spain (home) in September.
