Erling Haaland was born in Leeds, England, on 21 July 2000, while his father Alfie was playing for Leeds United. He grew up in Bryne, Norway, where he came through the local academy before making his senior debut for Bryne FK in 2016. He moved to Molde in 2017, working under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and earned recognition with 16 goals across all competitions in the 2018 season before joining Red Bull Salzburg in January 2019.
At Salzburg, Haaland made an immediate impression in the UEFA Champions League, scoring a hat-trick on his competition debut against Genk and finishing the campaign with eight group-stage goals. He signed for Borussia Dortmund in January 2020, again opening with a hat-trick on his Bundesliga debut, and went on to win the DFB-Pokal in 2021. His transfer to Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for around €60 million proved transformative: in his debut Premier League season he scored 36 league goals — a single-season record — and 52 in all competitions, winning the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe. He was also part of the City squad that won the continental treble that year.
A powerful, direct striker who combines pace with precise finishing inside the box, Haaland has become the focal point of Manchester City's attack since his arrival.
At international level, Haaland made his senior debut for Norway in 2019 and has scored 55 goals in 48 appearances, making him Norway's all-time top scorer. He also took the Golden Boot at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup after scoring nine goals in a single match against Honduras.