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Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe are dominating early season scoring, each boasting over a goal per game.
(From left) Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe. (Agencies)
Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe are showcasing impressive goal-scoring abilities, each maintaining better than a goal-per-game rate as the season starts off with a bang. As they prepare for the Champions League this week, these top scorers are vying for the competition’s highest honour and positioning themselves for next year’s Ballon d’Or in the early stages of the World Cup campaign.
A closer look at the remarkable statistics these strikers are achieving for both club and country:
Erling Haaland (Man City and Norway)
Haaland leads the pack with 23 goals in 13 games, propelling City back into Premier League contention and bringing Norway close to their first World Cup since 1998. He has only failed to score once this season and has found the net in his last 11 consecutive matches.
The 25-year-old netted twice against Everton on Saturday, bringing his Premier League tally to 11 for the season. Haaland now holds the record for the quickest instances any Premier League player has reached 10 goals in a season, achieving this in six matches in 2022 and five last season.
Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer, praised Haaland, saying, “If you are building from scratch what you want as the ideal centre-forward, look at Haaland. He has goals, pace, strength, is good in the air. Doesn’t mind being roughed up, it doesn’t bother him if he doesn’t have many touches. He is almost perfect.”
Criticisms from his homeland about not replicating his club form for Norway have dissipated, as Haaland has scored 12 goals in six qualifiers, leading a golden generation to his first major international tournament.
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)
Kane scored his 22nd goal of the season, helping Bayern secure victory in Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. The England captain has netted three goals in three games for his country, as the Three Lions became the first European team to qualify for the World Cup with a perfect record in six matches.
Since moving to Bayern in 2023, Kane has achieved extraordinary numbers, tallying 104 goals in 107 games, including 19 in 11 at club level this season. Bayern appears poised to defend their Bundesliga title, making the pursuit of a first-ever Champions League crown for Kane even more significant. He has scored four times in victories over Chelsea and Pafos, initiating their European campaign, and expects more goals when Club Brugge visits Bavaria on Wednesday.
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid and France)
Mbappe’s initial struggles after his dream transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last year are now a distant memory in Madrid. The Frenchman scored 44 goals in 59 games across all competitions last season, successfully adapting to a central striker role under Carlo Ancelotti.
Xabi Alonso has maintained Mbappe’s position, making him Madrid’s key player in the season’s opening weeks. Lightning-fast, skillful on the ball, and lethal from outside the area, Mbappe has scored 15 goals in 11 matches between La Liga and the Champions League. He leads the Spanish top flight with 10 goals and has netted five goals in just two Champions League appearances. Additionally, Mbappe has scored three times for France this season in three games.
In only one of 14 appearances for club and country this season has Mbappe failed to score, and he has found the net in his last 11 consecutive matches. Mbappe has finished as his league’s top scorer in each of the last seven seasons, six with PSG and one in his first year at Real Madrid.
With AFP Inputs
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
October 20, 2025, 09:09 IST
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