In case you hadn’t noticed, Erling Haaland has virtually secured this year’s golden boot in just six matches wearing sky blue and barring an unexpected injury, he shows no signs of slowing down.
The 22-year-old Norwegian has already bagged 10 goals and an assist in the league and a baker’s dozen in all competitions for Manchester City this season.
And we’re only in September.
Every type of goal – and plenty of them
So far, his highlights include scoring a game-winning brace against West Ham, as well as back-to-back hattricks against Palace and Forest. The latter was both a traditional perfect hattrick (left foot, right, header) and a ‘German perfect hattrick’ – all three goals scored uninterrupted by any other player.
Oh, and he also scored each of them in consecutive halves across the two games if there’s a word for that – he essentially managed the most perfect pair of trios you’ll probably see for some time.
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Even when doesn’t manage multiple goals, he produces moments of match-winning brilliance like this:
He’s going to score a lot of those finishes by the way.
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Most others would find it hard to even reach that ball and even if they could, very few are clinical, composed and creative enough to convert it into a goal.
The stats speak for themselves
With that in mind, if he’s already this prolific so early on in the season and he’s able to add even more improvised goals like this to his tally when most others wouldn’t even attempt, it’s fair to say that he’s going to pull even further ahead of his goalscoring rivals than he already is quite quickly.
To put things into perspective, even with an xG (expected goals) rating of 1.19 goals per every 90 -minutes of football, he is already exceeding his own stats, averaging an xG of 1.86 per 90 according to FotMob.
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Put even simpler, this means he’s scoring a goal around 48.5 minutes – that’s just in the Premier League alone.
If you extrapolate his numbers to take into account the three Champions League goals he’s already scored and presuming City make it to the final of the FA and Carabao Cup this year – and it looks very well they might – then the projected figures are verging on scary.
How many could Haaland theoretically score?
Were he to continue at this rate for as many games possible, he could theoretically end the season on a grand total of 102 goals – with 63 of those goals coming in the Premier League. That’s based on his average 80 or so minutes per game he’s currently on the pitch for – and it’s even more if he played the full 90 for the remaining 32 games.
Erling Haaland has virtually secured this year’s golden boot in just six matches / Credit: Man City (via Twitter)
Now, chances are he is going to a few games without a goal at some point (well, you’d hope so, for everyone else’s sake), but when you consider the sheer raft of talent and regular service from the rest of the City squad, it’s entirely possible he could break all kinds of records.
Essentially, whatever number he ends up finishing on is going to come down to whether Pep decides to rest him or whether or not he stays injury free, as he has been known to suffer a knock or two.
If left entirely up to him, we can only imagine what magic he produces.
Either way, whether you’re a City fan or not, it’s going to be genuinely riveting to see just how many goals he’ll score this season.
Kyle Walker set to leave Manchester City on a free transfer with at least two clubs monitoring
Danny Jones
Kyle Walker looks to be leaving Manchester City after the best part of eight years and could be set to join another Premier League clubif reports are to be believed.
The long-serving Man City and England defender has been at the Etihad Stadium throughout the most successful spell, but has gradually fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola of late.
Walker regularly played more than 30 games per campaign under the Catalan coach for seven years, but was ultimately loaned out to AC Milan for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, where he made just over a dozen appearances.
Despite being one of the first names on the team sheet for the longest time, the Sheffield-born full-back has grown to become somewhat of a divisive figure among the fan base. As a result, he is now preparing to find a new club with his contract expiring this summer, and Everton is said to be interested.
🚨🔵 Kyle Walker (35) is seen as a potential signing for Everton this summer, reports @mcgrathmike/@TeleFootball! 🏴
This transfer update comes from Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath, who writes that the Merseyside club have identified Walker as a possibility, with David Moyes looking to recruit additions to his backline.
According to McGrath, “Kyle Walker [is] seen as a potential signing for Everton this summer with David Moyes looking at signing a right-back”, adding that the departure of former Aston Villa and Manchester United player, Ashley Young, as well as Jack O’Brien’s ability to play central makes it a viable option.
Were he to be picked up by the often struggling top-flight team, the 35-year-old would be yet another senior appointment to bolster the defensive ranks, effectively replacing Young (38).
The Toffees have flirted with the relegation zone in recent times, but with previously popular manager Moyes having returned to the club and now set to begin a maiden chapter at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Bramley Moore Dock, the first division veteran and serial winner could be a key signing.
Walker asked to leave the club back in January, securing his loan spell in Serie A shortly after, but as he is soon set to leave permanently as a free agent, he could prove a good bit of business for Everton.
🗞️Kyle Walker would cost a nominal or potentially no fee, while Everton also have interest in soon to be free agents Kenny Tete, Vladimir Coufal and Kyle Walker-Peters
Other suitors are said to include Fenerbahçe SK, with a number of European players entering the latter stages of their career opting for a switch to the Turkish league.
However, with still plenty of strength, pace and experience in a number of defensive positions, Walker will no doubt favour his chances remaining in the ever-competitive and fast-paced Premier League.
What about you, Blues – will you be sad to see him go?
Soccer Aid raises more than £15 million for Unicef as a familiar face stars at Old Trafford
Danny Jones
This past Sunday saw not only the closing night of Parklife and Outbreak Festival here in Greater Manchester, but also Soccer Aid 2025, which raised yet another incredible amount for charity.
It was also one of the highest-scoring games Old Trafford has seen in a while.
This year’s edition of the fundraising match for UNICEF, which has now been running for more than two decades, saw a record-breaking 14th win for the World XI, who have also emerged as champions from the last five Soccer Aid games.
Nevertheless, with more than £15 million raised in charitable donations to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which helps protect children’s rights, provide humanitarian and all-around support to kids across the world in developing countries, that was the real victory.
As you can see, the exact amount generated following donations during this year’s Soccer Aid fixture is £15,280,163, essentially matching the record-breaking figure raised in 2024.
Better still, this now takes the total raised for UNICEF thanks to the charity match, which became annual back in 2018, to beyond £115m. Incredible stuff.
Top performers on the night included Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who got the goals underway, ex-Man City Women’s star Toni Duggan and retired England striker Jermain Defo, who managed to score a brace on the night.
However, despite taking a two-goal lead, it was the World XI’s star man who happened to be both a once-friendly face at the Theatre of Dreams and a familiar foe.
Speaking on the staggering 2025 total, pop star Robbie Williams, who founded the event back in 2006, said: “As an original founder of Soccer Aid, I couldn’t be more proud of UNICEF…
“From the volunteers, organisers and talent, to the team on the ground; everyone who buys a ticket or makes a donation. Together, over the years, we’ve raised over £121m. Here’s to many more games and even more fundraising.”
Well done to everyone involved with another fantastic year for Soccer Aid and UNICEF, including local comedian Paddy McGuinness, who celebrated a record ninth appearance playing between the sticks for England. Big likey, big lighty.
You can watch the game back in full HERE or all the big highlights from Soccer Aid 2025 down below.
Cracking scoreline that. Man United vs Lyon, eat your heart out.
Danny Jones -
16th September 2022 
