Breaking: Manchester City star Erling Haaland wins UEFA Men's Player of the Year award
Manchester City's Erling Haaland has been declared as the UEFA Men's Player of the Year.
The Norwegian star seems to be taking every step in the right direction towards greatness. This has been the case ever since he made the €60m switch from Signal Iduna Park to the Etihad Stadium in 2022.
His contributions in the 2022-23 season have led him to victory in several award ceremonies, with the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award being his most recent.
Few could've predicted the stellar year that Erling Haaland experienced in his maiden campaign with the Cityzens. Apart from breaking multiple records in the Premier League, the Norwegian star also shone on the European stage.
His 12 goals in the competition were enough to propel him to the top of the scoring charts as well as aid Manchester City to their maiden UCL title.
The 23-year-old began his European conquest with a bang, grabbing five goals in his first three outings. After missing out on two games and failing to get his name on the scoresheet in two, Erling Haaland made a spectacular comeback against RB Leipzig.
The former Borussia Dortmund forward put five past Janis Blaswich, facilitating Manchester City's 7-0 drubbing of the German outfit. In the process, he joined Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano as the only players to have netted five times in a single Champions League match.
He furthered his goal tally by scoring two goals over two legs against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final stage. He thus helped the Sky Blues to their third consecutive semi-final showing in the competition.
While Haaland would not score any more goals in the tournament, his attacking threat and intelligent positioning drew defenders towards him. This opened up space for other Manchester City players to exploit. Their comprehensive 4-0 victory over Real Madrid perfectly showcased this ability of Erling Haaland.
Additionally, the youngster also ended up as the top scorer in last year's UEFA Nations League B, helping Norway to secure a respectable 24th position in the overall ranking. This will greatly aid the Scandinavian nation's bid to qualify for the 2024 UEFA Euros.
Erling Haaland also grabbed the PFA Player of the Year award as Manchester City players dominated Team of the Year selections
From the looks of it, the flurry of awards for Erling Haaland has just begun. The Manchester City forward was selected as the PFA Player of the Year for bagging 36 goals and eight assists in his debut campaign in the Premier League.
He was also named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, alongside teammates John Stones, Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Kevin de Bruyne.
A continental treble, countless individual awards and a bucket-load of goals. Not a bad start for the 23-year-old in England!