The international break has reached a premature end for Erling Haaland after he was sent home to link back up with Manchester City. The prolific finisher was once again key for Stale Solbakken’s side as they pummelled Israel 5-0 on Saturday and dazzled pundits with a hat-trick for the hosts.
Haaland, 25, will return to focus to all matters Manchester City, however, after flying back to England. That means he won’t be a part of the Norway team that faces New Zealand in a friendly on Wednesday. There’s nothing untoward about Haaland’s recall, however, after Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet confirmed the decision was “already planned in advance.” From that, one can assume City and the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) had an agreement Haaland would only play the competitive half of Norway’s international break.
It’s easy to understand the decision given there’s little point risking a player of such importance in a friendly fixture with little to gain. Moreover, Haaland already did his part leaving commentators speechless following his latest international contribution.
The Premier League’s Golden Boot favourite helped dispatch Israel with his second hat-trick in as many games for his country, though he did miss two penalties. It was back in September that Haaland netted five in an 11-1 demolition of Moldova, and he now boasts 51 goals in just 46 games for Norway.
“He crushes [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and everyone else,” said TV 2’s Simen Stamsø-Møller in response to Haaland reaching such a stupendous total in record time. “He has done that since he started playing international football. He is a phenomenon.”
To put Haaland’s figures into context, Messi earned 107 Argentina caps before he reached 51 goals, while Ronaldo made 114 appearances for Portugal before reaching the same sum. Harry Kane is his closest rival after hitting 51 finishes in 71 games for England, while Neymar needed 74 outings for Brazil before netting that number.
Although biased, Stamsø-Møller is certainly correct in asserting Haaland’s status as a football phenomenon. And he wasn’t the only one overawed by the player as former national team coach Egil Olsen joined in the plaudits.
“We have been spoiled with Haaland, when it comes to scoring,” said the 83-year-old, who has managed Norway in two separate stints. “He scores goals, and it is very impressive.”
Ronaldo, 40, boasts the most international goals of any player in history, having netted 141 times in 224 appearances for his country. Asked whether Haaland can dream of reaching the same heights, Stamsø-Møller was positive it’s within his reach.
“A lot depends on physique and possible injuries,” said the former Eliteserien striker. “But we see how good Haaland is at taking care of his body. His explosiveness is probably even more important to him than some of the physical aspects of Messi and Ronaldo.”
Haaland will likely enjoy a couple days of rest before getting back to the business at hand in Manchester. City host Everton in their Premier League comeback on Saturday seeking a third straight win.