Erling Haaland beats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to new Champions League record

Erling Haaland has greatly exceeded the goalscoring feats of Lionel Messi and Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo in his first 20 Champions League games.

The 22-year-old netted a brace in his first match in the competition as a Manchester City player on Tuesday night, as the Premier League champions cruised to a 4-0 win over Sevilla. It means he has scored 12 times in seven games so far this season.

Many are predicting Haaland to storm to the golden boot, both in the league and in Europe with City favourites to lift the Champions League. Some are even forecasting that he will set a new Premier League scoring record, which currently stands at 32 during a 38-game season, set by Mo Salah in 2017/18.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola challenges Erling Haaland over Man City goals

Meanwhile, Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in a single Champions League campaign. He hit home 17 goals for Real Madrid in the 2013/14 season as Los Blancos went on to lift the trophy.

The 37-year-old also holds the all-time competition record, having scored 140 goals for United, Real and Juventus. However, he didn’t get off to a storming start in his first 20 games, failing to score in that period.

In contrast, Haaland has netted 25 times in his first 20 Champions League matches, surpassing Lionel Messi’s eight-goal haul. too On Tuesday, the Norway striker became the fastest player to reach 25 goals in the competition, having converted for RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now City.

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