Brilliant Haaland big reason for City's third straight Premier League title

MANCHESTER, England : Erling Haaland arrived at Manchester City nearly a year ago to questions about how a "battering ram" of a centre-forward would fit into mastermind manager Pep Guardiola's nuanced and tactically demanding style.

    But Haaland has since bulldozed his way to several scoring records - and past countless defenders - in an astonishing debut campaign.

The striker has quickly become the face of team and a major reason the treble-chasers captured their third consecutive Premier League title on Saturday.

    While teamwork is City's cornerstone, the 22-year-old Norwegian international has claimed numerous individual records that Guardiola has called "scary."

He owns the record for goals scored in a single Premier League season with 36, breaking the previous mark set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer that had stood for nearly three decades and was from more games.

    His 52 goals across all competitions this season had people looking back almost a century as Dixie Dean's 63 for Everton in 1927/28 briefly looked under threat.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville recently described Haaland as "truly unique," calling the hulking forward a combination of Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Brazil's Ronaldo at their best with Kane's finishing touch, Rooney's power and Ronaldo's explosion.

    While City have long garnered praise for the brilliance of their passing, possession and patience in creating chances, Haaland, former England defender Neville said, brought something new, a "battering ram" of a striker with a superb finish.

    "Haaland is a world star, who has come as a world star and is performing like a world star," Neville said on his podcast earlier this season.

    He has certainly proven Neville right, finding the net in