Erling Haaland of Manchester City has equaled Chelsea in the number of goals scored this season after scoring against Everton.
Haaland has been in fine form this season, scoring at least a goal in every two matches he plays.
But does that mean he is the best player in the world currently? That cannot be said to be as he is just a goal poacher like some pundits will say.
Being the best player in the world translates to more than just goals scoring and topping the charts.
Chelsea on the other have faced the worst season in their history despite spending $350 million in the January transfer window.
The Stamford Bridge outfit has also changed three managers and has rehired Frank Lampard as interim coach until the end of the season.
Chelsea are currently in 11th position in the 2022/23 English Premier League, with 43 points from 35 matches played.
The Blues have just won 11 matches, drawn 10, and lost 14, and have managed to score 36 goals and conceded 41 goals.
Kai Havertz is Chelsea’s top scorer in the 2022/23 English Premier League with 7 goals (11.27 xG).
Erling Haaland on the other hand has scored 36 Premier League goals as he netted the second goal for Manchester City against Everton to give them top spot in the League.
Erling Haaland just touched the ball just once half an hour into Manchester City’s game against Everton.
Haaland has shown regular viewers in the Premier League this season that a lack of involvement in play does not mean weakness.
Game after game Haaland has barely been involved in Man City’s build-up and scores with one of his few touches.
The big screen was still showing his graphics before the striker powered a header past Everton’s Jordan Pickford to make it 2-0 for Man City before halftime.
That goal was his 52nd goal of the season and took his record-breaking tally to 36 goals in the Premier League, matching Chelsea’s total goals this season as a team.
The goal against Everton showed that only three of the entire Premier League team have been able to prevent him from scoring against them this season.
Haaland secured 80% of the vote this year, a prize that has often produced some less obvious winners but this year there was no doubt about the winner.
The Norwegian received criticism from the media after he blazed a shot against the bar in his debut against Liverpool in the Community Shield. But that has become irrelevant now that he has become the Premier League hottest striker.
Why Erling Haaland Is Incredible
Haaland’s goalscoring stats before joining Manchester City indicated this level of brilliance was in many regards to be expected.
Haaland’s chance conversion rate was the best in Europe and he was joining the team who created the most chances on the continent.
The better question to ask was; why is the former Dortmund man so effective?
Haaland’s aversion to revealing too much in interviews and his incredible numbers lead to many too-lazy descriptions of him as some sort of robot or superhuman.
But the Norwegian’s success has been relative to his down-to-earth humble attitude and self-improvement.
He showed this humility when he was awarded the FWA crown, where he heaped praise on his teammates.
The Manchester City forward said; “I have loved my time at City so far – my teammates are incredible, and they provide me with the chances to score goals. I want to thank all of them because I could not have won this award without them.”
“I also owe so much to [manager] Pep [Guardiola] and the team behind the team here at City. Everybody has been so good to me since I joined and I have never worked with such top professionals.”
The Norwegian also added: “I am now focused on ensuring I finish the season as strongly as possible and helping City win trophies”
Not being overly carried away from success or getting depressed from failure is one of the ways an athlete can remain at the highest level.
