Haaland has only 1 record on his mind and it's Shearer's all-time Premier League mark

Erling Haaland already holds the Premier League’s single-season scoring record.

He already has more than twice as many goals than any other player in the league this season with 13 in 10 matches.

He also was the quickest to the 50-goal mark.

So what’s left for the Manchester City striker to accomplish in terms of individual records in the world's top league?

Well, Haaland revealed Tuesday that while he’s not really a guy to aim for specific records, there’s one particular mark that he knows well: Alan Shearer’s 260 career goals in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old Haaland already has 98 in 107 league games for City and could smash Shearer’s mark if he keeps up his current pace.

“I know this record. I don’t really know any records, but this one I know. That’s his Premier League record, yeah,” Haaland said ahead of facing his former team Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Shearer, who required 441 matches to compile his record, said recently that he thinks Haaland will break his mark if he stays at City.

Haaland, however, wouldn’t go as far as to even consider his chances of reaching or breaking one of the league’s most revered records.

“That’s the last thing I think of. I just try to help the team win football games,” he said. “That’s my job and that’s my main focus. I know it’s boring. I know you want me to say the completely opposite, but that’s not how it is.”

City coach Pep Guardiola cited Haaland’s humble approach as one of the reasons why he named him a vice captain for this season.

“It’s difficult to find a real, real world-class player or star to be incredibly humble and thinking what is the best for the team,” Guardiola said. “It’s difficult to find when a (goal-scoring) player has this kind of ability or the talent or I would say generosity or kindness. … And Haaland is like that. It was a surprise. Normally, a striker is just thinking a goal, goal, goal.”

Handing leadership duties to a player who signed a 10-year contract with the club earlier this year was also a factor.

“As much as he’s involved in many, many things, it will be better,” Guardiola said.

When told of Guardiola’s compliments, Haaland said that, to him, his behavior is “completely normal.

“I’m a Norwegian guy,” Haaland said. “I should not think I am something just because I’m scoring goals. As simple as that. I’m just Erling and this is something that will never change.”

Haaland’s numbers have drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. So does he see himself approaching their level?

“No, not at all. Far off,” he said. “No one can get close to them two. So no.”

Haaland is still perfecting his game.

“I’ve been practicing my headers ever since I started in Molde in 2017 with Ole Gunnar (Solskjaer) and Mark Dempsey,” he said. “With headers I think that you can never get good enough. I think you can always get better and better. … There’s still a long way to go.”

Haaland has also been heading balls away from opposing strikers lately when he’s used to defend on set pieces.

“It’s not the nicest thing, but I’m not complaining,” he said. “I prefer to be in the other box, but anything to help the team.”

Haaland also leads the scoring chart in European qualifying for the World Cup with 12 goals in six matches for Norway.

Norway has a perfect six wins to near qualifying for its first World Cup since 1998 — two years before Haaland was born.

“My goal is to take Norway to the World Cup and Euros,” Haaland said. “This is my main goal in my career and now I have a good chance to do it.”

___

Andrew Dampf is at https://x.com/AndrewDampf

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer