Erling Haaland’s heroics helped his side Manchester City clinch the treble-winning season the previous year. The Norwegian international is one of the most clinical strikers in the world. He has continued his form this season as well, leading as the league’s top scorer.
In the 2022/23 season, Haaland took home numerous individual awards, including the UEFA Best Player in Europe, Footballer of the Year for Manchester City, and finishing as the top scorer in both the league and the Champions League. In addition, the 23-year-old is competing for his first-ever Ballon d’Or, alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Haaland’s seven-figure bonus at risk
The Norwegian international was on a goal-scoring spree, helping his team retain the Premier League title and eventually securing a treble-winning season. Reportedly, in addition to his high wages, the striker has been rewarded for every achievement and trophy due to a bonus clause included in his club’s contract.
The former Dortmund striker is the frontrunner in the race for the most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d’Or, set to be awarded on October 30th. However, he could miss out on the bonus sum of £1 million as per the contract for winning the Golden Ball award, especially with Messi expected to win the 8th Ballon d’Or following a successful World Cup campaign with Argentina in Qatar, giving him an advantage.
Nonetheless, Haaland is already the highest-paid player in the English Premier League and ranks 6th in the Forbes list of highest-earning footballers in 2023 with estimated earnings of £58 million. Recently, West Ham striker Antonio claimed that Lionel Messi’s alleged eighth Ballon d’Or win over Erling Haaland would be a ‘scandal,’ weighing that the City forward is more deserving.
Erling Haaland broke EPL record for most goals in a season
Erling Haaland arrived in England from a breakout season in Dortmund. In his very first season with the Premier League champions, the striker led his side to their first Champions League title in the club’s history, a trophy that was missing from the Citizens’ cabinet.
The 23-year-old shattered the Premier League record by scoring 36 goals in 35 appearances, all in his debut season. Furthermore, in the Champions League, he netted 12 goals in 11 matches and emerged as the top scorer in both competitions. In total, Haaland made a remarkable contribution of 61 goals in just 53 appearances in sky-blue colors.
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