Manchester City have fallen well below their lofty standards on the field in 2024/25, struggling in both the Premier League and in Europe.
But Pep Guardiola and everyone at the club was handed a huge boost by Erling Haaland committing to a remarkable nine-and-a-half-year contract extension.
Spending such a timeframe at City should bring both Sergio Aguero’s all-time club record and Alan Shearer’s overall Premier League record – each coincidentally 260 goals – into view for Haaland.
But there are also records to break in continental competition, with the Norway superstar determined to keep up his prolific record on the UEFA Champions League stage.
City wrapped up the 2022/23 season with an incredible trophy treble including a first-ever Champions League title for the blue half of Manchester. That was Haaland’s best individual season in the tournament to date as he scored 12 goals – securing the Golden Boot but falling short of breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013/14 record.
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Erling Haaland’s Champions League goal record
As of January 17, 2024, Haaland has an overall total of 46 Champions League goals, with a ratio of 1.02 goals per game.
| Champions League games | Champions League goals | |
| RB Salzburg 2019/20 | 6 | 8 |
| Borussia Dortmund 2019/20 | 2 | 2 |
| Borussia Dortmund 2020/21 | 8 | 10 |
| Borussia Dortmund 2021/22 | 3 | 3 |
| Manchester City 2022/23 | 11 | 12 |
| Manchester City 2023/24 | 9 | 6 |
| Manchester City 2024/25* | 6* | 5* |
| TOTAL | 45 | 46 |
Champions League goal record for one season
Haaland’s 12 goals in 2022/23 saw him easily clinch the Golden Boot, as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah finished second, with eight scored. Karim Benzema scored 15 goals to win it in 2021/22.
Each of these figures is well short of the record for most goals in a single UEFA Champions League season.
Cristiano Ronaldo netted 17 goals, including eight in the knockout stages, as Real Madrid went all the way in 2013/14, beating Atletico Madrid in the final.
As long as City manage to avoid league phase elimination in 2024/25, their struggles in this season’s competition could conversely give Haaland a better chance of getting close to Ronaldo’s mark.
Any progress after concluding league phase games against Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge will have to be through the playoff phase prior to the Round of 16. If City were to go all the way to Munich from this point, Haaland could play as many as 17 games in this season’s Champions League.
All time top Champions League scorers
Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have broken clear at the top of the all-time Champions League scorer list but Haaland looks on course to challenge their dominance in the years ahead. A place in the top-10 by the end of this season is well within reach
(Data correct as of January 17, 2025, and excludes goals scored in qualifying rounds)
| Rank | Name | Goals | Appearances | Years | Club (s) |
| 1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 140 | 183 | 2003-present | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus |
| 2. | Lionel Messi | 129 | 163 | 2005-present | Barcelona, PSG |
| 3. | Robert Lewandowski | 101 | 125 | 2011-present | Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona |
| 4. | Karim Benzema | 90 | 152 | 2005-present | Real Madrid, Lyon |
| 5. | Raul | 71 | 142 | 1995-2011 | Real Madrid, Schalke |
| 6. | Ruud van Nistelrooy | 56 | 73 | 1998-2009 | PSV, Manchester United, Real Madrid |
|
7. |
Thomas Muller | 55 | 155 | 2009-present | Bayern Munich |
| 8. | Thierry Henry | 50 | 112 | 1997-2012 | Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona |
| 9. | Alfredo Di Stefano | 49 | 58 | 1955-1964 | Real Madrid |
| 10. | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 48 | 124 | 2001-2023 | Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG |
| Andriy Shevchenko | 48 | 100 | 1994-2012 | Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea |
