Erling Haaland vs Robert Lewandowski: Decoding their stats in 2022-23
Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski have settled in nicely at their new clubs in England and Spain respectively. Both the former Bundesliga stars secured high-profile moves in the summer. Haaland sealed a move to Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund as Lewandowski joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich. Haaland and Lewy are scoring for fun and several records have already been scripted. We decode their stats.
Why does this story matter?
Haaland is just 22 and he has all the attributes of becoming the next big sensation in a new era alongside Kylian Mbappe. Haaland is a top-notch quality striker, churning out consistency with his prowess. Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Lewy has made it obvious there is no stopping him. He looks as fit and the desire shown, makes him a household celebrity.
Haaland has scored 14 goals already
Haaland is the top scorer in the Premier League 2022-23 season. He has already smashed 11 goals and an assist in just seven matches. His tally includes two successive hat-tricks as well. Overall, Haaland has scored 14 goals for City in all competitions, including three in the Champions League. He scored on Saturday as Man City beat Wolves 3-0.
Lewy hasn't kept quiet either
Lewandowski is the top goal-scorer in La Liga 2022-23. He has racked up 8 goals, besides two assists. In the Champions League, Lewy has netted three goals, scoring a hat-trick as Barcelona beat Viktoria Plzen in their Group C opener. On Saturday, Lewy was on the scoresheet as Barcelona humbled Elche 3-0.
Premier League: Haaland sets these new records
As per Opta, Haaland became the first player in Premier League history to score in each of his first four away games in the competition after netting a goal versus Wolves. Earlier against Nottingham Forest, Haaland (9) set a new competition record as he surpassed Mick Quinn and Sergio Aguero (both 8) in terms of most goals in the first five Premier League appearances.
With successive hat-tricks, Haaland smashed this record
Haaland registered two successive hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest respectively. As per Squawka, only six players have scored hat-tricks in consecutive Premier League appearances: Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane (twice), and Haaland.
Haaland becomes fastest player to reach 25 Champions League goals
City thrashed Sevilla in their opening UCL encounter. Haaland scored a brace for Pep Guardiola's side. Haaland became the fastest player in UCL history to reach the landmark of 25 goals. He has taken 20 UCL matches to reach the milestone, breaking the previously held record by Ruud van Nisterlrooy and F Inzaghi. Both these players had taken 30 matches to reach 25 goals.
Lewy smashes these La Liga records
On matchday 5 in La Liga, Lewandowski became the fastest player to reach six goals in La Liga (5 games) in the 21st century. Earlier versus Sevilla, Lewy became just the third player to score 5 or more goals in his first 4 games in the competition in the 21st century after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 and Radamel Falcao in 2011.
Lewy scripts these Champions League records
With a hat-trick versus Plzen, Lewandowski became the third-highest scorer in the UCL. He raced to 89 goals, steering clear of Karim Benzema, who has 86. Lewandowski is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (141 including qualifiers) and Lionel Messi (125). Lewandowski became the first player in UCL history to score for three different clubs. He has scored hat-tricks for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona.
Breaking down the league numbers of these two players
Haaland has played 575 minutes (7 matches). Lewy has tallied 449 minutes from six games. Both players have dominated from inside the box, scoring 10 and 8 goals respectively. Both players have registered 17 shots on target. Lewy has hit the woodwork twice to Haaland's one. Haaland has completed 72 passes compared to Lewy's 109. Lewy has recovered more balls (10) to Haaland's two.
