The Emergence of Erling Haaland: RB Salzburg Unearth Soccer Greatness
It was only in 2019 that Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg exposed the young talent to the world. Before that, Haaland played in the relative obscurity of the Norwegian top flight for Molde under the guidance of Man Utd legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Debuting as a 16-year-old, the already tall and quick Haaland scored 20 times in 50 games for Molde before RB Salzburg opened its checkbook with an $8.8 million offer the Norwegian club couldn't refuse.
Now, after a single season with Haaland in the squad, there aren't any offshore gambling sites not listing the Manchester side as the firm favorites in both competitions. You'll get -142 odds on City for the Premier League and +225 for the Champions League. The reason for these odds: Erling Haaland has shattered all Premier League goalscoring records in a single season, recently scoring his 50th Premier League goal against Liverpool in only his 48th match. In Europe, the super striker has taken his Champions League goal total to 40 in 35 matches, courtesy of 17 goals in 16 games for his new employers.
But where did it all begin?
Exposure to Europe
Erling Haaland slipped seamlessly into the multiple Austrian Bundesliga team's starting lineup. In only 20 domestic appearances for RB Salzburg, most coming in the 2019/20 season, the teenage sensation scored 21 times. Haaland saved his true star quality for a bigger stage, though - the UEFA Champions League.
Drawn in Group E alongside UEFA Champions League holders Liverpool, Serie A's SSC Napoli, and Belgian outsiders KRC Genk, pundits expected little of the Austrian champions. They did expect an opening win in Salzburg against Genk, but not as it came.
Within two minutes of debuting on Europe's biggest club stage, Erling Haaland had announced himself to the continent. A right-footed shot found the Genk net, giving the Salzburg striker his first of many Champions League goals. Haaland would add a further two goals by the 45th minute - a hat trick on debut in the competition in a 6-2 demolition of the Belgians.
A European Night at Anfield: The Big Stage
Erling Haaland and Red Bull Salzburg arrived at Anfield in Liverpool for Matchday 2 against the defending champions. With the Norwegian starting on the bench, it was business as usual for The Reds as the Premier League giants took a three-goal lead within the first 36 minutes.
Salzburg pulled a goal back before the break, but the home side still controlled matters. Only when the Austrian's manager Jesse Marsch introduced his big blonde striker on 56 minutes did the situation change. Haaland's direct running immediately caused problems for Liverpool's defense, and Salzburg soon scored a second goal. 3-2 Liverpool.
After only four minutes on the pitch, Erling Haaland added his name to the scoresheet. A left-footed shot beat Adrián in Liverpool's goal, and within 24 minutes, the visiting underdogs had turned a three-goal deficit around.
Sanity prevailed in the end, with Liverpool scoring a fourth goal and securing a tight 4-3 win. Red Bull Salzburg, and especially their Scandinavian starlet, had made the soccer world sit up and take notice. Haaland had scored four goals in his first two UEFA Champions League outings. Was it beginner's luck or the unearthing of a special talent?
A Special Talent Confirmed
A 29,500-strong Austrian crowd greeted Napoli's arrival at the Red Bull Arena. Those in the stadium would leave disappointed, but not by Haaland's performance.
RB Salzburg lost the encounter with the favored Italians, but like at Anfield, the local champions showed that Erling Haaland's presence ensured they weren't pushovers. Twice the visitors took the lead, and twice the quick Norwegian striker equalized. His first goal was a clinical penalty before his first headed goal in Europe leveled matters for a second time.
Again, the brave Red Bull team couldn't hold on for a draw, but the manner of Salzburg's performances was earning plaudits from across the soccer world. Before Haaland arrived in Austria, single-goal losses against Liverpool and Napoli would have been achievements. Suddenly these results were disappointing fans.
By the final whistle of the Napoli game, Haaland had confirmed his immense talent. Six goals in three games on Europe's largest soccer stage was no fluke.
More Games and More Goals
The return fixture against Napoli in Naples ended in a creditable 1-1 draw for Red Bull Salzburg. By this stage of the tournament, it was no surprise that Erling Haaland had scored from the penalty spot to put his side ahead - his seventh goal in four games.
RB Salzburg then completed the double over Genk with a 4-1 win in Belgium. The teenage sensation would only appear in the 62nd minute of the fixture, with his team 2-0 ahead. Within seven minutes of entering the field of play, Haaland assisted Hee-chan Hwang to increase Salzburg's lead.
Erling Haaland added his eighth group-stage goal before the end, confirming RB Salzburg's qualification for the latter stages of the Europa League. He finished Group E with eight goals in his first six Champions League appearances, failing to find the net for the first time in a 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the final fixture.
Germany, England, and International Stardom
Borussia Dortmund soon paid RB Salzburg $22 million to take Erling Haaland to the German Bundesliga. In three seasons in Germany, the Norwegian scored another European 15 goals in only 13 games. He also added 71 more in 76 domestic fixtures.
If any doubt lingered that Haaland had reached superstar status, Man City quashed it by paying nearly $66 million to buy the complete striker out of his Dortmund contract at the beginning of the 2022/23 season.
If the Citizens were hard to beat in the English Premier League before, Haaland's goalscoring ability made it nigh impossible after he signed. Once the 23-year-old arrived in Manchester, many sportsbooks favored City to win the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, and they’re well on track to do so.
In Erling Haaland, soccer greatness has been unearthed and is still growing.