Erling Haaland scored five goals to help Norway trounce Moldova 11-1 in a World Cup qualifier. The 25-year-old Norwegian scored an astonishing five goals and registered two assists to guide his team to a mammoth win.
Norway thus stayed in contention to qualify for the World Cup in 2026, a feat they have not achieved since 1998. They are in the same qualifying group as four-times champions Italy and hence, qualifying from it will not be easy for them.
However, Haaland now has more goals than international appearances for his country. His record of 48 goals in 45 matches for Norway is quite awe-inspiring. In fact, very few strikers in the history of the game have managed to score more goals than the number of matches they have played in international football, only considering players who have played at least 20 matches for their country here.
Erling Haaland Scores Five Goals To Join Exclusive Club
By scoring at least a goal in every game on average, Haaland has joined an exclusive club of strikers.
Gerd Muller, the great German who dominated the scene for his country as well as Bayern Munich in the 1970s, scored 68 goals in 62 international appearances, including 14 in World Cups alone.
Muller was the greatest goal-scorer in world football of his generation and scored goals for fun for Bayern as well. Muller scored an astounding 565 goals in 607 matches for Bayern and won the European Cup three times with them.
Then, there was Just Fontaine, the Frenchman whose record of scoring 13 goals in a single edition of the World Cup in 1958 has not been broken yet. Fontaine scored 30 goals in 21 matches for France in a short but successful international career.
Fontaine also scored 258 goals in 284 matches in his club career, which gave him a nearly a-goal-per-game ratio. In comparison, Haaland now has 242 goals in 265 matches in top-flight football, which makes his scoring ratio quite similar to those of Muller and Fontaine.
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Haaland Has Won All Major Titles Already With Manchester City
With Manchester City, Haaland has won two Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League title already. He is only 25 and has a long way to go in his career. His goal-scoring record for his club is already good, but his otherworldly form in international football is what sets him apart.
As of now, the Norwegian is a member of a really exclusive group of players. The great duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored heaps of goals in international football as well, but have played in an enormous number of matches to do that.
The fact that Haaland plays for a somewhat weaker country like Norway makes his chances of playing in major tournaments considerably less. However, he is making the most of the opportunities that are coming his way.
At this rate, he can realistically aim to score 100 international goals, which will be a tremendous feat.
It goes without saying that no Scandinavian player has managed to score 100 international goals to date. Hence, it will be a great achievement for Haaland should he be able to get there.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / NTB
Recording Date: 09.09.2025