JEWEL IN THE CROWN

Erling Haaland joins a squad of superstars assembled by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

- Oliver Keohane

Erling Haaland penned a five-year deal with English football giants Manchester City to join one of the most expensive squads in the world with unbelievable positional depth. The frightening prospect of the 21-year-old's next five years playing for the Premier League kings is best put into context by reflecting on the fact that he has been playing first-class football for five years already, and his statistics are remarkable.

Last year I wrote a feature on Haaland detailing his qualities, further potential as a player, and his rise to the top. This feature is a bit different because it is not so much the story of Haaland but the story of his astounding statistics. So what follows is not purple prose on Haaland's ability but a summary, as best as possible, of his career in numbers.

The Norwegian striker - who was born in Leeds, England - made his professional debut at 16 years old for Molde and scored 12 goals in 17 starts in his first season. By 18, he had broken the record for most goals scored by a single player in a match at the U20 Fifa World Cup when he netted nine of Norway's 12 goals against Honduras.