Erling Haaland made history again over the weekend.
The Norwegian goal machine just cannot stop scoring for club and country this season. Indeed, Haaland bagged a hat-trick as Norway eased to a 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Israel on Saturday night. The trio of strikes means Haaland is now his nation’s leading scorer with 51 goals.
In this article, we’ll cover:
In the process, he became the fifth-fastest player to reach a half-century of international goals. Only Poul Nielsen, Ferenc Puscas, Gerd Muller and Sandor Kocsis have achieved the feat quicker. Yes, Haaland reached the milestone quicker than the likes of Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe for their respective countries.
Haaland deserves ample credit for setting the record, and doing so in just 46 appearances is a fine achievement. For context, Kane previously held the record having reached 50 international goals in 71 appearances. Mbappe so did in 90 outings, Messi in 107 and Ronaldo in 114.
The level of opposition
On paper, it’s an incredible record. It’s highly unlikely that anyone will trump Haaland’s goalscoring exploits on the international stage. Having bagged his 50th goal in under half of the appearances of Messi or Ronaldo; the praise is deserved. However, when you dig a little deeper into the numbers – Is Haaland’s international goal record really that impressive?
It’s worth taking into account the calibre of opposition that Haaland has netted against on the international stage. On Fifa rankings, he is yet to score against any of the top six best-rated teams in the world. In fact, the highest-ranked team he has scored against is the Netherlands, who are currently seventh.
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Only three of his 51 goals have come against a nation in the top 20 of world football. Naturally, a player can only score against the teams they face. Norway’s failure to make the World Cup since 1998 and the Euros since 2000 means Haaland is yet to truly test himself against the best international teams in world football.
Qualification matches, therefore, tend to be against so-called ‘lesser’ nations, which gives Haaland ample opportunity to bulk up his numbers. Even with the gulf in calibre between Manchester City and Norway, Haaland so often needs just one chance to score.
Comparing the numbers with Messi and Ronaldo
By comparison, 25 of Messi’s 114 international goals (21.93%) have come in either the Copa America or World Cup. 27 of Ronaldo’s 141 Portugal goals (19.15%) meanwhile have come in either the World Cup, Euros or UEFA Nations League finals. That’s not to say they haven’t struck against smaller teams in their career but that they have netted when it matters on their way to reaching such notable international goal hauls.
Furthermore, Haaland has used games against international minnows Israel, Estonia and Moldova to ‘stat-pad’ his way to 51 goals. He has 12 goals in World Cup qualification, but 11 have come against the trio as Norway eased to victory. Six of the 51 alone (11.76%) came in comfortable wins over Moldova.
Erling Haaland is a goalscoring machine. ?
He’s scored 21 goals in 12 games for club and country this season, scoring in each of his last 10 appearances.
The 25-year-old now has 51 goals in 46 caps for Norway, scoring EIGHT goals in his last two games for his country. ?? pic.twitter.com/SxFbNT5ld7
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 11, 2025
That’s not to say that Haaland doesn’t deserve ample credit for his exploits at international level. Transferring club level form to the international stage is far easier said than done. However, it’s key to apply some context when discussing the record goal haul especially as Haaland is yet to face down the very best international teams.
Will Haaland feature at the World Cup?
It would take a monumental collapse for Norway to not make the 2026 World Cup now. They have won all six games, with a 3-0 home win over Italy back in June the pick of the bunch. With a significant positive goal difference over the Azzurri, victory against Estonia next month should be enough for Norway to book their trip stateside next summer.
And given Haaland’s goalscoring exploits for Man City, the 25-year-old should have no qualms about chancing his luck against the best in the world. Beyond a blank against Spain in 2023, Haaland is yet to really face down international football’s elite sides. That is set to change with Norway on the brink of a first World Cup appearance in 28 years.
Either way, Haaland’s goal record is here to stay. With international football so often played at a slower pace and with chances at a premium, there’s unlikely to be a forward who can smash the 50-goal barrier in 45 or fewer appearances. It’s a fine record but until Haaland proves his exploits at a World Cup or a European Championship, it’s one that’ll be accompanied by a ‘flat-track-bully’ Asterix.