Erling Haaland: biography, career and statistics

Early life

Erling Braut Haaland was born on 21 July 2000 in Leeds, England, where his father Alf-Inge Haaland was playing for Leeds United; he grew up a Leeds supporter before moving to his family's home town of Bryne, Norway, at age three. His mother, Gry Marita Braut, was a Norwegian heptathlon champion, and Haaland played handball, golf and athletics as a child, reportedly setting an age-group standing long jump record aged five. He joined Bryne's academy at five, scored 18 goals in 18 games for the reserves in 2015-16, made his senior debut aged 15 in May 2016, and after a goalless breakthrough season and a trial at Hoffenheim, joined Molde in February 2017.

Club career

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Molde he scored 16 goals in 2018 (including four in 21 minutes against Brann), earning a move to Red Bull Salzburg in January 2019, where 28 goals in 22 games in 2019-20 — including a first-half hat-trick on his Champions League debut — triggered a €20m move to Borussia Dortmund. He scored a debut hat-trick as a substitute against Augsburg, won the 2021 DFB-Pokal and the 2020-21 Champions League golden boot, and left with 86 goals in 89 games. Manchester City paid €60m in 2022; in his first season he set the Premier League record with 36 goals (52 in all competitions) as City won the treble, and he added a second title and Golden Boot in 2023-24, the 2024 Community Shield, and the FA Cup and EFL Cup plus a third Golden Boot in 2025-26. Internationally he became Norway's record scorer in October 2024 and led the country to its first World Cup since 1998, scoring seven goals at the 2026 tournament as Norway beat Brazil to reach a first-ever quarter-final. He has 303 club goals in 386 senior club games and 62 goals in 55 caps as of September 2026, and is under contract at City until 2034 under new manager Enzo Maresca.

Transfer fees paid for him total €88m: €8m from Molde to Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, €20m from Red Bull Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund in 2020 and €60m from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City in 2022.

International career

Haaland made his senior debut for Norway on 5 September 2019 against Malta and has since won 59 caps and scored 65 goals (1.10 per game), with 6 international hat-tricks. He has played 1: 2026 FIFA World Cup (7 goals, Quarter-finals). Norway's all-time top scorer (surpassed Jørgen Juve's 33, which had stood since 1937, on 10 Oct 2024 aged 24).

Personal life

Haaland comes from a sporting family: his cousins Jonatan and Emma Braut Brunes are professional footballers, as was his great-uncle Gabriel Høyland. He changed the spelling of his surname from Håland to Haaland in 2019 to make it easier for international fans, and wears "Braut Haaland" on his Norway shirt. He and his partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen had their first child, a son, in December 2024. Known for his "meditation" lotus-position goal celebration, he idolises Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo, released a rap single as "Lyng" in 2016, and debuted a buzz cut ahead of the 2026-27 season.