Jakarta, ThedailyID — Erling Haaland is strengthening his case as the next great goalscorer in the Champions League.
The Manchester City striker scored twice against FC Porto. The goals helped City secure three points and gave Haaland another scoring record.
Haaland has now scored 59 goals in 59 Champions League appearances. That gives him an average of exactly one goal per game.
The figure puts Haaland above several legendary players when it comes to scoring rate. However, he still trails them in total goals.
Haaland has moved into seventh place on the Champions League all-time scoring list. He overtook Thomas Muller, who previously had 57 goals.
His next target is the fifth-place mark shared by Raul and Kylian Mbappe. Haaland needs another 12 goals to match Raul’s total.
Mbappe remains Haaland’s biggest rival among the current generation. The Real Madrid forward has scored 71 goals in 99 Champions League games.
That gives Mbappe a scoring rate of 0.72 goals per game. Haaland’s rate is significantly higher.
Age could also work in Haaland’s favor. He is two years younger than Mbappe, who will turn 28 in December.
Haaland therefore has more time to chase the competition. His biggest challenge will be catching the two players at the top of the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo leads the Champions League scoring chart with 140 goals in 183 games. Lionel Messi follows with 129 goals in 163 games.
Ronaldo averages 0.77 goals per game. Messi has a slightly higher rate at 0.79.
Haaland remains far behind them in total goals. Still, his extraordinary scoring rate makes him one of the strongest candidates to eventually challenge Ronaldo’s record.
If Haaland maintains anything close to his current pace, the Champions League could have a new all-time scoring record in the future.
