Erling Haaland has emerged as one of the frontrunners for the 2025-26 Golden Boot after one of the strongest starts of his career, placing him alongside Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé in the race for Europe’s top individual scoring honor. After snapping his most recent scoring drought, the Manchester City striker made a blunt assessment of his form: “I haven’t scored enough goals.“
After matching his own mark of scoring 10 or more goals in the first eight Premier League matches, Haaland has struggled to consistently find the net in recent weeks. Following his goal against Brighton on January 7, the Norwegian didn’t return to the scoresheet until February 8, when he scored against Liverpool four matches later.
With just two Premier League goals in 2026 and one in the Champions League, Haaland addressed his scoring form while speaking to reporters in the mixed zone: “I haven’t scored enough goals since the start of this year, you can say, and I know that I need to improve. I know I need to be more sharp, better at all of this, and this is something that I have to work on.“
Manchester City have played 12 matches across all competitions since the start of the year, with Haaland featuring in every one, but he has found the net only three times. Notably, both of his Premier League goals in that span came from the penalty spot, with his last open-play goal dating back to December 20, when he scored twice against West Ham United.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates scoring against Liverpool.
While declining to go into detail about the reasons behind his dip in form, Haaland pointed to the physical demands of the schedule. “It’s a lot of games. Look at the schedule, it’s not easy, and for me, it’s about staying fit, don’t get injured. That’s the most important thing. And try to be ready to help the team,” as City have averaged just over three days between matches during a 38-day stretch.
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With his goal against Liverpool, Haaland has now taken his personal tally to 41 goals in 40 matches across all competitions for Manchester City and the Norway national team. Despite those eye-catching numbers, the striker made clear that he remains unsatisfied and determined to raise his level as 2026 progresses.
How’s the Golden Boot race so far?
Kylian Mbappé claimed the Golden Boot in the 2024-25 season, his first year at Real Madrid, and remains in contention to repeat the feat. However, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, both previous winners, are firmly in the hunt to prevent the French star from claiming the award in consecutive seasons.
Harry Kane currently leads the race after scoring 24 goals in 21 Bundesliga matches, placing him first with 48 points under the competition’s scoring system. Mbappé sits second with 23 goals in 23 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid, totaling 46 points, while Haaland rounds out the top three with 21 goals from 25 Premier League games, giving him 42 points.
Trailing the leading trio is Brentford striker Igor Thiago, who has scored 17 Premier League goals but remains some distance behind the top contenders. With more than half of the 2025-26 season still to play, the Golden Boot race remains wide open.
