Erling Haaland’s explosive 2025-26 season has put him on a trajectory to potentially eclipse Lionel Messi’s legendary 73-goal campaign from 2011-12. The article compares their statistics, analyzes the challenges Haaland faces.
Fourteen years after Lionel Messi delivered one of football’s most perfect seasons, Erling Haaland may be on track to rewrite history. The Manchester City striker’s numbers in the 2025–26 campaign have reached a level few thought possible – and his current scoring rate could see him eclipse Messi’s record-setting 2011–12 season.
Back in 2011–12, Messi produced a campaign that redefined brilliance. Now, under the same manager who once guided the Argentine – Pep Guardiola – Haaland appears poised to chase that same mark of immortality.
Messi’s masterpiece: 2011–12 in numbers
Messi’s 2011–12 season remains unmatched in modern football lore. Across all competitions for Barcelona, the Argentine scored 73 goals:
- 50 in La Liga
- 14 in the UEFA Champions League
- 3 in the Copa del Rey
- 3 spread across the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup
He also netted 9 times for Argentina – 6 in friendlies and 3 in 2014 World Cup qualifiers – bringing his total to 82 goals in just 69 matches, an astonishing rate of 1.19 goals per game. To make it even more extraordinary, he contributed 34 assists.
Despite his individual magic, Barcelona missed out on the Champions League and La Liga titles, finishing behind José Mourinho’s Real Madrid and falling to Chelsea in the semi-finals in Europe. Guardiola’s side did, however, lift the Copa del Rey – with Messi scoring in the 3-0 victory over Athletic Club in the final, Guardiola’s farewell as Barça boss.
Messi ended that iconic spell with a final flourish – a hat-trick in a 4-3 friendly win over Brazil – sealing one of the greatest individual football seasons ever witnessed.
At this point of the 2011–12 season, Messi had already scored 24 goals in 22 matches for club and country. Fast forward to 2025–26, and Haaland is four ahead of that pace.
Haaland’s 2025–26 numbers so far
Haaland’s start to the campaign has been explosive. The Manchester City forward has already netted 28 goals in all competitions, broken down as follows:
- 14 in the Premier League
- 5 in the UEFA Champions League
- 9 for Norway (8 during World Cup qualifiers and 1 in a friendly)
That gives him a staggering average of 1.55 goals per game – a pace that, if maintained, could see him become the first player in history to touch 100 goals in a single season.
Haaland’s Premier League ratio stands at 1.27 goals per game, just short of the 1.32 required to surpass Messi’s 50-goal La Liga record in 2011–12. If he continues at this rate and matches Messi’s 69 total appearances, he would finish with approximately 106 goals for club and country – an unfathomable total in the modern era.
The challenge ahead
For that milestone to become reality, several variables must fall in Haaland’s favour: fitness, rotation, and City’s progress on multiple fronts. Guardiola has so far rested him for League Cup fixtures, though he may return in the latter stages.
If City go deep into every competition, Haaland could feature in:
- 38 Premier League matches
- Up to 17 in the expanded Champions League format
- 10 domestic cup ties (across FA Cup and League Cup rounds)
Combined with Norway’s international schedule, that amounts to as many as 74 games – even more than Messi played in his iconic season. However, considering rest periods, rotation, and potential injuries, a realistic figure sits between 55 and 65 appearances.
Following the footsteps of greatness
Pep Guardiola once built his Barcelona dynasty around Messi’s magic; now he manages another record-chaser who could push those same boundaries. At Haaland’s current pace, the conversation is no longer whether he can reach Messi’s level – but whether he can redefine it altogether.
Still, while the Norwegian’s finishing is unmatched, Messi’s 34 assists from that 2011–12 campaign stand as a reminder of the Argentine’s all-round genius. Even if Haaland breaks the goals record, replicating Messi’s creative influence might remain an impossible dream.
For now, football fans can only wait – eyes fixed on Manchester – to see if Haaland can do what no one has done since Messi: make the impossible look routine.