Manchester City‘s star striker Erling Haaland etched his name in the history books, setting a new Champions League record by becoming the fastest and youngest player to score 40 goals in the competition, reported by GOAL. The Norwegian achieved this milestone during City's comeback victory against RB Leipzig, where they overturned a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 and maintain a perfect record in this season's Champions League.
Haaland's 40th goal came in his 35th Champions League appearance, surpassing the previous record held by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Kylian Mbappe. At 23 years old, Haaland also secured the title of the youngest player to reach 40 Champions League goals, surpassing Mbappe's record set in November 2022.
This accomplishment adds to Haaland's recent record-breaking week, where he became the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League goals in City's match against Liverpool. The striker achieved this feat in just 48 Premier League appearances, shattering the previous record set by Andy Cole in 65 games.
Following the triumph against RB Leipzig, City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his delight at qualifying with two games to spare and emphasized the team's consistency over the years. Guardiola acknowledged the importance of finishing first in the group and praised the squad for maintaining high standards in both domestic and European competitions.
With City securing top spot in their group, Erling Haaland might see some rest in the final group match against Crvena zvezda in December. The Norwegian goal-scoring sensation will then turn his focus to increasing his Premier League goal tally as City faces title rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.