Erling Haaland: An unstoppable goal-scoring machine
Erling Braut Haaland has taken the Bundesliga by storm since he completed a switch from RB Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund earlier this month during the transfer window.
The boy just can't stop scoring. He already has 7 goals in 3 Bundesliga appearances in just 136 minutes of football. A phenomenal record considering he is a teenager who has barely had any time to settle into a new league. He marked his debut with a spectacular hat-trick within 23 minutes.
The Norwegian Wonderkid, who joined Dortmund after a bidding war and interest from various big clubs, made Bundesliga history yesterday by becoming the first player to score 7 goals in just 3 Bundesliga games. Haaland scored a brace in Dortmund's 5-0 rout of Union Berlin after being rewarded with his first Bundesliga start.
The fact that he has 7 goals from 8 shots on target just goes on to show how lethal he is, one might make a case that such a conversion ratio is unsustainable but Haaland's performance levels show no signs of slowing down.
The teenager earned his move to the Bundesliga after scoring 16 goals and chipping in with 4 assists in just 14 games in Austria for RB Salzburg and eight goals in six games in the UEFA Champions League, which included a hat-trick against Genk and being on the scoresheet in a close 4-3 loss at Anfield vs Liverpool.
The son of former Norwegian and Manchester City star Alf-Inge Haaland, he has always been considered as a big talent back home in Norway but his recent rise has been nothing short of meteoric.
'Lethal' would be the right word to describe Haland right now, his clinical finishing is what makes him such an effective striker. His instincts, positioning and ability to outmuscle the defenders with his height and strength is way beyond his years. With age, he will only get better in those aspects. There are particular areas such as dribbling which he could still work on, which could make him a more complete forward, but either way, Dortmund seem to have found themselves a gem in Haaland and he, along with Jadon Sancho are arguably two of the most exciting teenagers in world football right now.
All in all, Haaland seems to have all the tools to become a world-class striker. He could help Dortmund win their first Bundesliga title since 2012, given how good he already is and he is far from the finished product. If he can keep up these performances, sky is the limit for this immensely talented Norwegian.
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