Football · Debate

Can Haaland become the best number 9 of the 21st century?

36 goals in a Premier League season, 100 goals in 111 games, 62 goals in 55 caps: at 26, Erling Haaland scores faster than any of the great centre-forwards of his generation. But the title of best number 9 of the century is also about longevity, big nights and trophies. The debate, with sourced figures.

Published on 19 September 2026 · 10 min read · Figures up to date on 19/09/2026
Anonymous silhouette of a footballer at the end of a concrete stadium tunnel, facing a pitch lit by cyan floodlights
Illustration generated for IASHARK: an anonymous silhouette, not a real player.

1. The short answer

0.79goals per club game
111games for 100 PL goals
62goals in 55 caps

Not yet, but he is the only active player who can lay claim to it. On scoring rate, nobody in our comparison does better. On longevity and trophies, Robert Lewandowski (669 club goals) and Karim Benzema (five Champions Leagues, 2022 Ballon d'Or) are still ahead. Our full view is at the end of the article.

2. Haaland career stats on 19/09/2026

3. The goalscoring records in his favour

  1. Erling Haaland2 December 2025111 games
  2. Alan Shearer30 December 1995124 games
  3. Harry Kane4 February 2018141 games
  4. Sergio Agüero19 April 2016147 games
  5. Thierry Henry10 February 2004160 games
Number of games needed to score 100 Premier League goals (shortest bar = fastest). Source: premierleague.com.

4. Haaland vs Lewandowski, Kane, Benzema: the century's best strikers compared

We compare Haaland with six centre-forwards whose careers were mostly played after 2000. Table up to date on 19/09/2026.

Player (born)Club goals (games)Goals / gameInternational goals (caps)Champions LeaguesEuropean Golden ShoesBallon d'Or
Erling Haaland (2000)323 (408)0.7962 (55)11no (2nd in 2023)
Robert Lewandowski (1988)669 (954)0.7089 (167)12no
Harry Kane (1993)448 (654)0.6985 (121)02no
Luis Suárez (1987)543 (910)0.6069 (143)12no
Zlatan Ibrahimović (1981)511 (866)0.5962 (122)00no
Sergio Agüero (1988)385 (685)0.5641 (101)00no
Karim Benzema (1987)502 (919)0.5537 (97)50yes (2022)

Club and international totals taken from Wikipedia's statistics tables (updates: Haaland 13/09/2026, Lewandowski 13/09/2026, Kane 18/09/2026, Suárez 16/09/2026, Benzema 20/08/2026; Ibrahimović and Agüero have retired). Reserve teams are included where Wikipedia counts them. Goals per game: IASHARK calculation.

  1. Erling Haaland0.79
  2. Robert Lewandowski0.70
  3. Harry Kane0.69
  4. Luis Suárez0.60
  5. Zlatan Ibrahimović0.59
  6. Sergio Agüero0.56
  7. Karim Benzema0.55
Career club goals per game, on 19/09/2026 (IASHARK calculation from Wikipedia totals). A career ratio penalises players at the end of their careers and favours those at their peak: it measures rate, not overall worth.

Each has his strong point: Lewandowski and Suárez have two European Golden Shoes each, Kane is England's all-time record goalscorer (now at Bayern Munich), Ibrahimović was Ligue 1's top scorer three times with Paris Saint-Germain (2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16), Agüero is Manchester City's all-time top scorer, and Benzema won five Champions Leagues and the 2022 Ballon d'Or with Real Madrid.

We left out Brazil's Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, part of whose careers took place before 2000. For the record, Ronaldo won the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or in 2002, and Van Nistelrooy shared the record for goals in a season by a Premier League player (44) before Haaland's 52.

5. The case for

The highest rate in the comparison

With 0.79 goals per club game, Haaland is ahead of Lewandowski (0.70) and Kane (0.69). For his country the gap is even clearer: 62 goals in 55 games, more than one goal per cap, against 85 in 121 for Kane and 89 in 167 for Lewandowski. And that rate holds in the two most demanding competitions: 116 goals in 136 Premier League games, 59 in 59 Champions League games.

Records in three countries

The record for goals in a Premier League season, the fastest to 100 Premier League goals, to 50 Champions League goals and to 100 goals in the top five leagues: Haaland has beaten benchmarks set by Shearer, Andy Cole and Ronaldo. His three Premier League Golden Boots (2022-23, 2023-24, 2025-26) already put him level with Kane and Shearer.

Age

He is 26. Lewandowski, 38, is still playing: proof that a centre-forward can last. In theory, Haaland has a decade ahead of him to extend his totals.

Team trophies

Two Premier League titles (2022-23, 2023-24), one Champions League (2022-23, as part of a treble with the league and the FA Cup), two FA Cups, one League Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, a German Cup with Dortmund and a league and cup double in Austria. Individually: 2022-23 European Golden Shoe, twice the Champions League's top scorer (2020-21, 2022-23), 2023 Gerd Müller Trophy.

6. What he is still missing

Longevity

Rate is not everything. Lewandowski has scored 346 more club goals, Suárez 220 more, Ibrahimović 188 more. The best number 9 of the century is also judged over fifteen years, not seven.

The big nights

The 2023 Champions League final, won 1-0 against Inter, was settled by a Rodri goal. At the 2026 World Cup, Haaland scored in his first four games, but not in the quarter-final, lost 2-1 after extra time against England. Benzema, for his part, won five Champions Leagues and was the top scorer of the 2021-22 edition.

Only one Champions League

On the criterion that weighs most in debates like this, Haaland has one Champions League, like Lewandowski and Suárez, a long way short of Benzema's five. And Manchester City have not been English champions since 2024.

The national team

His figures for Norway are exceptional, but Norway have not won a trophy. The 2026 World Cup quarter-final is already their best-ever World Cup finish.

The style debate

He is regularly criticised for touching the ball little in some games. In May 2024, Haaland told The Telegraph that the criticism only appears when he does not score, and that his role is to be in the box to finish moves, not to control the game like a midfielder. The debate is legitimate: a modern number 9 is also judged on his involvement in play, an area where Benzema and Kane have shown more.

The Ballon d'Or

Second in 2023 and nominated in 2026, he has never won it. On 19 September 2026, the market gave him only around a 0.5% chance for the 2026 edition: see our article on the 2026 Ballon d'Or favourites.

7. The maths: how many seasons to catch Lewandowski?

Haaland has 323 club goals, Lewandowski 669: a gap of 346 goals. At his 2025-26 rate (38 goals in all competitions), he would need about 9 seasons, taking him to around 35. If he got back to his record 2022-23 rate (52 goals), he would need just under 7.

An estimate, not a certainty

This calculation assumes Haaland keeps a constant rate, with no long injury or age-related decline, and that Lewandowski adds no more goals. It is a simple projection to put the gap in context, not a forecast.

8. Our view

Our view

Today, the title belongs to Robert Lewandowski: the most club goals in the comparison (669), two European Golden Shoes, a Champions League, the record of 41 goals in a Bundesliga season (2020-21, beating Gerd Müller's 40) and 89 goals for Poland. Benzema has the best trophy record, but a more modest scoring output.

Can Haaland get there? Yes, and he is the only active player with the means to do it. He already has the best rate in the comparison and the fastest records in the Premier League and the Champions League. What will make the difference: keeping up that rate until 33-35, weighing more in knockout games and winning a second Champions League. Our view: not yet, but it is the most likely scenario by the end of the decade if he stays clear of injuries. This is an opinion, not a certainty.

FootballBallon d'Or 2026: who are the favourites? AnalysisxG: what the statistic really tells you, and where it lies

To follow Haaland and Manchester City game by game, see our Premier League page and our Champions League analyses. To understand how the quality of a striker's chances is measured beyond the goals he scores, read our guide to xG.

9. Frequently asked questions

How many career goals has Haaland scored?

According to Wikipedia (statistics up to date after the match on 13 September 2026), Erling Haaland has scored 323 goals in 408 official club games, reserve teams included, including 168 goals in 204 games for Manchester City. He has also scored 62 goals in 55 caps for Norway.

What is Haaland's record for goals in a season?

In 2022-23, Haaland scored 36 goals in 35 Premier League games, the record for a single season of the competition, and 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions, the record for a Premier League player.

How many games did Haaland need to score 100 Premier League goals?

111 games, reached on 2 December 2025 against Fulham. That is the Premier League record, ahead of Alan Shearer (124 games), Harry Kane (141), Sergio Agüero (147) and Thierry Henry (160).

Is Haaland more prolific than Lewandowski?

In terms of rate, yes: 0.79 goals per club game against 0.70 for Lewandowski, and 62 goals in 55 caps against 89 in 167. But Lewandowski has scored 669 club goals, 346 more, and has two European Golden Shoes to Haaland's one.

Has Haaland won the Ballon d'Or?

No. He finished second in the 2023 Ballon d'Or and is among the 30 nominees for 2026, whose ceremony takes place on 26 October 2026 in London.

Who is the best number 9 of the 21st century?

There is no official ranking. Our view: over a whole career, Robert Lewandowski is still the benchmark today, with Karim Benzema holding the best trophy record. Haaland has the best rate of them all and can overtake them if he keeps it up until 33-35 and wins more big games. This is an opinion, not a certainty.

Goalscorers, game by game

Every day, IASHARK calculates match probabilities from real data and shows them next to the market odds, with their limits. Estimates, not certainties.

View today's analyses →

10. Sources

Figures checked on 19 September 2026 (update or publication date in brackets).