“Goal machine”, Erling Haaland, has attained a new level in the Uefa Champions League following his inspirational goal for Premier League giants, Manchester City, on Tuesday night.
Haaland opened scoring for Manchester City in the Champions League 2025/26 encounter against SSC Napoli, before Jeremy Doku netted the second.
The Norway sharpshooter has dethroned former Netherlands striker, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, to emerge the fastest ever to reach fifty (50) goals in the Uefa Champions League.
Haaland achieved this fest in just forty-nine (49) Champions League games.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo achieved the same feat after 66 and 91 games respectively.
Fewest appearances to attain fifty (50) goals in the Uefa Champions League
1. Erling Haaland | 49
2. Ruud Van Nistelrooy | 62
3. Lionel Messi | 66
4. Robert Lewandowski | 77
5. Kylian Mbappe | 79
6. Karim Benzema | 88
7. Cristiano Ronaldo | 91
8. Raul | 97
9. Thierry Henry | 103
10. Thomas Müller | 130
Phil Foden wins Player Of The Match
Manchester City English attacking midfielder, Phil Foden, won the Player Of The Match award for his display for the English side.
Following Man City’s win, in his post-victory comments, Foden described Napoli as a “nightmare”.
He said: “They were a nightmare team to break down. I thought we were pretty clever and didn’t give away too many turnovers. The first half was a bit frustrating. I wasn’t getting too many touches between the lines but (for the goal) Erling [Haaland] is always going to make that run.”
Post-match reactions
According to uefa.com, In his comments after his side, Manchester City’s win at home, midfielder, Nico O’Reilly, tagged Haaland a “goal machine”, and expressed his “happiness” for the former Borussia Dortmund striker for his recent UCL goal record.
Nico O’Reilly said: “He’s a machine in front of goal. I’m happy for him to achieve this milestone. He’ll keep doing it as long as we get the ball there.
“We had a lot of the ball but it’s hard to break them down when they’re like that. They were so compact and in a low block but we managed to do it.”
On his first full 90 minutes in the Uefa Champions League, he said: “I enjoyed it a lot. It’s the biggest level, so it’s amazing. [My family were] all here to watch and they were super proud. It’s always important to start with a win, [which] puts you in a good place, and also to get a clean sheet.”
Scott McTominay, former Manchester United midfieder, said: “It was nice to be back. It will always feel like home for me. I love it in Italy and the people there. [Antonio Conte] is a brilliant manager and someone I admire greatly from working with him for a year. He’s a real influence on my career and I’m really, really grateful for every opportunity he’s given me.
“We were compact and resilient. We knew we had to be properly organised and do everything possible to stop [City], and also be a threat going forward. When you’re doing so much running, it is difficult to have that threat at the other end. They’ve got great players – we have to take it on the chin and move on.”
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, said, on Haaland scoring 50 goals in 49 UCL games: “In this rhythm, yes. He’ll play another ten years, 12 years.
“What can I say? The numbers speak for themselves. We are fortunate to have him and just congratulate him because he’s alongside [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Robert] Lewandowski, Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi. Erling is there. In terms of goals, he is unbelievable.”
Speaking to TNT Sports, Guardiola said: “Italian teams are unbelievable [at defending]. I’ve faced them many, many times. The resilience, the focus… I admire them so much. I’m very pleased.
“It’s been a tough week [having hosted Manchester United on Sunday] and we have an incredibly tough challenge on Sunday [at Arsenal], but we are going there with a good feeling.”
