Erling Haaland still only halfway to Jamie Vardy record as Man City star eyes more history

There aren't a lot of records Erling Haaland hasn't broken in his relatively young career, but former Leicester and England striker Jamie Vardy has one which is particularly hard to match. Haaland became the fastest ever player to reach 50 international goals when he scored a hat-trick for Norway against Israel, even having time to miss a penalty, and has already made his mark on the Premier League's all-time charts.

Back in 2015/16, when Leicester secured a stunning Premier League title win, Vardy's personal exploits hit headlines in their own right. He scored in 11 straight games - bagging 13 goals in total during the run - to break a record which had been held by Ruud van Nistelrooy for more than a decade.

No Premier League player has matched Vardy's record since, and no one has even come close. In fact, Vardy himself has come closest, scoring in eight straight games in 2019, while Alexander Isak also netted in eight on the spin last season.

Manchester City star Haaland's best run so far stands at seven, achieved between August and October in the 2022/23 campaign en route to his record 36 goals across the season. That run included three hat-tricks, ensuring he scored the same number of goals in those seven matches as Vardy got in his 11 in 2015/16.

The Norwegian could beat that tally this season, though, having scored in his last five for City. A winner at Brentford came after braces against Burnley and Manchester United and single goals against Arsenal and Brighton.

Haaland's 2022 run was ended by Liverpool, who handed City a 1-0 defeat. Pep Guardiola's side take on the Reds in four games' time, so their leading man would need to net in that November meeting to keep Vardy's record in his sights.

If he plays and scores in every game from here on out, Haaland would draw level with Vardy in City's home game against his father Alf-Inge's former club Leeds at the end of November. He drew a blank on his last appearance against the Yorkshire club, but bagged a brace at Elland Road in the one before that.

Haaland returned to City early after his exertions for Norway, who play New Zealand in a friendly on Tuesday afternoon. However, the Norwegian FA said his "tight match schedule" was the reason, rather than any injury concern, with other players including Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth also allowed to leave the camp.

Norway have 18 points from a possible 18 after thrashing Israel 5-0, scoring 29 times across their six matches. Their massive goal difference advantage means defeat for Italy against Israel on Tuesday would effectively confirm Norway's place at the World Cup, while victory over Estonia at home in November would also do the trick.

"It's crazy and big. We win 5-0 and are one step closer. I'm happy," Haaland said after the win over Israel. "Now we have to keep our heads cool and focus everything on the next match against Estonia. That match is the only thing that matters now and we have to win it."

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