Of course it was just over a month ago that it was confirmed
that City had reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to sign the Norwegian,
but he has now officially arrived and, as I said, a five year deal.
This got so many people talking pundits, players, fans.
I think this is, potentially, one of the biggest signings in Premier League history.
He was salivating.
It's a brilliant signing.
I said it's not just for City,
it's one of those signings for the Premier League, really.
He's a player we've all looked at from afar.
I think it’s brilliant to have him in the Premier League,
and for us to be talking about him and watching him play and analysing him.
On your YouTube channel, you called Haaland overrated recently.
Yeah, I stand by that. I think he is.
People are saying: Man City have already
won the league, it's in the bag,
and he’s going to be a rip-roaring success.
And I don't think it's as simple as that.
Let’s give a massive, Manchester City welcome...
Our number nine...
Erling Haaland!
It was my dream signing.
I'm so excited. I'm so happy.
He's going to be unbelievable. He’s going to be unbelievable.
I think he's missing piece to a puzzle
that we’ve struggled with.
Putting chances away this season.
But I think he’s going to be amazing for us.
That's why I'm here.
Exactly these balls. That’s why I’m here.
The first official siting, Erling Haaland.
There are two schools of thought on Haaland.
One is to say that he had the fewest touches of the ball in the first half,
missed a sitter right at the end, didn't look in sync with his new teammates.
Can he fit?
The other one though, is,
If that is him playing for a new club, with teammates that he barely knows.
And he still has three big chances.
Then, what's going to happen a game or two into the season?
Announcing, Erling Haaland.
Erling Haaland’s stunning Premier League debut
was one of the highlights of the opening weekend.
Two goals against West Ham...
It was a proud moment, for me and my family,
And yeah. I’m happy.
I'm smiling and I'm training good.
Erling Haaland, when he is in a team like this, with Silva, with Mahrez, with De Bruyne,
with Grealish, with Foden. He will get so much service.
Haaland still...
Haaland!
Haaland has his first City match ball.
It will not be his last.
Yeah, amazing feeling.
And to score three, a hat-trick,
an even better feeling.
Nine goals in August, I think it is.
He’s broken a record already.
He’s only been here a month! - Nine goals, five games.
It’s unbelievable. - Two hat-tricks.
Two hat-tricks, back-to-back, it’s just amazing.
I can just see him scoring as many goals as he can.
And he won't be happy with that either.
He’s just a goal machine.
Haaland's record in the competition now
reads 25 goals in 20 games.
That is the fastest any player in the history of the Champions League,
has reached that landmark.
Sometimes you cannot believe your eyes.
What a finish!
I think I have really long legs, that’s why I reached that ball.
But it was a good cross, and it the end it was a really good goal.
It’s Manchester derby number 188.
Which team are you most looking forward to playing against?
I don't like to say the word, but, Manchester United.
City’s corner comes in, Haaland!
Off the line. Did it cross? Yes it did!
And Haaland’s first chance of the game, inevitably, goes into the net.
The goal machine is clicking again.
We are in the presence of something really special.
I think we know that, the numbers that he’s hitting
at the start of this season, the performances.
The way in which he makes, very difficult things, look very easy.
Three Premier League home games in a row...
Three hat-tricks!
Some achievement. Have you ever been close to that before?
No, I don’t think so.
I never did that before.
And it’s amazing.
I think we were talking about it being a cheat code.
He is literally someone you would make on FIFA.
You would give all of the best attributes.
Strength, pace, finishing, left foot, right foot, heading.
Like FIFA! - Honestly, he is...
But when you look at the numbers, listen I think we're all amazed.
That's 20 goals for the season in all competitions already.
A number many would be happy with come May.
But today is October 8th.
It’s proud to be a Norwegian at this moment,
to have a goal scorer scoring goals in the Premier League, top scorer.
And yeah, he is making history already.
Erling Haaland. Can he win it for City?
Listen to the Etihad Stadium!
He’s an exceptional player.
It’s not neccessary to tell you, everybody knows it.
I’ve never seen a player with 21/22 years play like this.
Maybe [Lionel] Messi. In that time he was already in that band
This is a [Zinedine] Zidane. The Brazilian Ronaldo.
Those types of players that I used to play against, sometimes during my career,
where you think they are at another level.
That's what we're seeing here, something that's just right up there.
I look at City right now.
I just think the biggest importance I see still,
is that bromance with Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland.
Because it's literally like they know exactly what they're going to do
with each other in relation to that final third.
He’s hungry to score goals.
He wants to score as many goals as possible.
Kevin De Bruyne is happy to be a provider.
Erling Haaland moves on to 20 Premier League goals for City
in only his 13th Premier League start.
How good is he? I mean, you've worked with some of the best in the world.
How good is it to work with him and watch him ever week?
Well we’re delighted for the fact of how humble he is.
He's an exceptional guy and a work ethic.
It’s a great threat for the opponents, having him there.
In each of the last four Premier League seasons.
He would already have won the Golden Boot.
Which is insane.
And Erling Haaland has his fourth Manchester City hat-trick.
The next quickest, to four hat-tricks in the Premier League,
was Ruud Van Nistelrooy. 65 games he took.
This is his fourth now, in 19 games.
You did a piece last week, saying:
Has Erling Haaland ruined Man City?
I can't imagine what the comments are like on that,
I would like to clarify.
The title was: Has Erling Haaland made Man City worse?
Was it very short? - It was quite long actually.
He may have actually picked the wrong club, to actually get the best out of him.
You’re laughing, but, what I'm saying is we’re not seeing everything of Erling Haaland,
and Manchester City.
Now they've scored exactly the same amount of goals.
So he’s scored 25 Premier League goals,
But Man City as a team have still scored the same amount of goals.
Listen, I know you've gone, what, three games without a goal.
So to score tonight, what did that mean as well?
Just to get that name on the scoresheet again.
That’s my life now.
I’ve already gone, I think, 20 minutes since I last scored a goal.
So I'm already in it again.
So I have to keep working.
This looks exactly the kind of tie
which they might find a little tricky
against a useful Leipzig side, who are third in the Bundesliga
and have scored in 23 of their last 24 matches.
Remarkably, a fifth hat-trick,
in this stadium, for Erling Haaland, this season.
On a personal note, what do you feel your super strength is?
My super strength?
I think after scoring five goals, I have to say scoring goals.
What element of that?
Is it just a natural instinct?
Your positioning? Your reaction?
Yeah. Should I be honest,
a lot of goals today,
I didn't think. I was just doing it.
I think a lot of it is just
being quick in the mind and trying to do the right thing.
A richly deserved ovation.
Fancy that, scoring five goals,
in a Champions League game.
Where do you start with it?
With a guy that's disappointed coming off after scoring five goals?
You know,
you've got to be stoked with the fact that he wants a sixth.
It speaks so much to the attitude and the confidence of Haaland as a player.
39 goals for the season already.
That's more than any City player has ever managed in a single campaign.
And he's still got, at least, 14 more matches in this season,
and potentially as many as 19.
Through to Haaland.
And Haaland will get there before Peacock-Farrell.
And Haaland does what Haaland does.
Goal number 40 of his first Manchester City season.
Another.
Haaland.
Hat-trick!
He’s a goalscoring machine.
He lives and breathes for goals.
If he doesn’t score them, he doesn’t sleep at night.
If he does, he wants another one, and then another one, and another one.
I’ve got to ask you as well.
Alan Shearer is in our studio this evening.
He's a little bit nervous about his record, as I'm sure you can understand.
Have you set a goal target this season?
No, I have not.
No, But you're hunting down that record, aren't you?
He knows what I will answer,
I’m a striker,
I love to score goals, but,
my focus is not on scoring goals.
It’s about getting the chances and to come to chances
there is a good chance of me scoring a goal.
So that's what I'm trying to focus on.
Yeah, I’ve scored some nice goals, but I think I have to say
against Southampton, was a really nice one.
Haaland!
That is a stunning finish from Erling Haaland.
He assumes that famous younger pose.
If we create the chances he's going to score a lot of them.
So I think he's really happy here
and he knows that we're going to create a lot of chances.
And he does the rest.
We live for two decades with two incredible players
like Cristiano Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi.
But these guys in that level scoring a lot, a lot of goals.
And now Bayern Munich.
Alvarez.
The target is Stones...
Haaland!
Dreamland in the Champions League for Manchester City.
And the man they signed, to take them to the promised land
has scored the third goal tonight.
He's a mad footballer.
45 goals in a single season already, another 16 games left, is mad!
His hair’s mad.
He’s brilliant.
Erling Haaland may have missed a penalty,
but he wasn't going to miss that.
This is the big one we've been waiting for.
Tonight, could very well prove to be the decider.
De Bruyne got it on to Haaland...
Back to Kevin De Bruyne...
So cool and collected!
Manchester City fans, dancing around the stadium.
The hair is being released from the elastic.
He is a striking Viking.
Good afternoon to you from West London.
On a day when Erling Haaland's remarkable season could bring him more accolades.
Erling Haaland has now scored 50 goals in all competitions this season.
That hasn't happened in this country since before the Second World War.
So before Winston Churchill was Prime Minister?
Yes. Yes. - Wow. So a long time ago.
English footballing history, rewritten before our eyes.
50 goals in all competitions.
Erling Haaland is a phenomenon.
Haaland through on goal... 2-0 City!
And now he becomes the first player in Premier League history,
to hit 35 goals in a season.
Thank you, guys.
Thank you.
It's been an amazing journey ever since the first game in August.
Yeah, It’s a tough league, the most difficult league, but we managed to win it
and that's really what's been on my mind the whole season.
All my teammates won it in the last years, and I wanted to do the same.
So that's basically what's been on my mind,
throughout the whole season.
How far has this gone in terms
of exceeding your expectations for this season?
And that's only so far.
Listen to this song and enjoy it.
30 seconds.
Enjoy it.
You were essentially born into the Premier League
with your dad playing all those years ago.
What has he had to say
about what you’ve been able to do this season?
Hopefully he's proud.
I'm happy.
I'm happy to have him around me.
I'm happy to have him helping me and
a friend I can speak to every single day.
Basically.
Honestly, he's absolutely incredible.
A top, top individual.
This is his debut season, to do what he has done,
Treble winners!
It’s just absolutely breathtaking.
He's so humble with it as well.
Were you crying?
Yeah, I cried for the first time in a really long time today. Yes.
Everyone know this is my biggest dream and
I did it.
So it's unbelievable.
The tremendous Nordic meat shield!
And you’re still evolving! - What do you think?
The environment allows me to to be myself every day, hungry people around me
that want to become better every single day.
That's where everything starts from, from Pep, from the physios to everyone.
We want to help each other.
We want to have a good time together, and we want to make
every single guy in the club better.
And that's
that's the most important thing.