Erling Haaland has become the fastest player in Champions League history to reach 60 goals, getting there in his 60th appearance in the competition. The Manchester City striker hit the mark against Paris Saint-Germain, scoring twice in a 4-2 home defeat at the Etihad.
The record previously belonged to Lionel Messi, who needed 80 matches to reach 60 goals. Haaland cut that by 20 games and also edged him on age, getting there at 26 years and 85 days, one day younger than Messi. He entered the night with 59 goals in 59 appearances and already held the fastest marks to 20, 30, 40 and 50 goals, which he reached in 14, 25, 35 and 49 matches respectively.
The gap to the rest of the list is just as striking. Haaland becomes the seventh player to reach 60 Champions League goals, and he got there ahead of Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Raul.
The night itself was a difficult one for City, who trailed by three goals at halftime before Haaland pulled two back. Even so, the milestone is another reminder that he is rewriting the scoring charts well ahead of schedule, and with 61 goals he is already closing in on the leading names on the all-time list.
Haaland becomes City’s all-time Champions League top scorer
Haaland’s brace also carried him past Sergio Aguero as Manchester City’s leading scorer in the competition. He arrived at the Etihad level with Aguero on 36 Champions League goals for the club, so his header in the 53rd minute put him ahead on his own, and his second in the 75th minute took him to 38 for City.
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It was a small consolation on a night that ended in a heavy defeat, as Haaland’s goals came after PSG had already built a 3-0 lead through Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha. Maghnes Akliouche made it 4-1 before Haaland’s second cut the deficit to 4-2, and Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a late penalty from Ferran Torres to keep the scoreline from getting worse.
Haaland now has 61 Champions League goals in 60 appearances, and the pace he has set suggests the all-time scoring list is within reach. At 26, he has plenty of time to keep climbing, and with his name now at the top of City’s Champions League history, he can keep adding to a tally that has made him one of the most feared strikers in the competition.
