Erling Haaland News Emerges for Manchester City Star on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Arnab Mondal | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 12:23 PM ET

Some players walk into a room. Erling Haaland crashes through the door with goals. That’s just who he is, and on Thursday, the Manchester City goal machine made headlines once again.

The Norway striker has officially landed a spot on the 30-man shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, soccer's most prestigious individual award. This news isn’t a surprise to anyone who watched him last season. Haaland was relentless, racking up 34 goals and five assists across all competitions for City in the 2024-25 season. That’s what he brings in.

Nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or ⤵️@ErlingHaaland @ManCity @nff_landslag #ballondor pic.twitter.com/03UvZj8Lu5
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) August 7, 2025

And he made it loud and clear from the start. Seven goals in his first three league games? Two hat tricks back-to-back? Ipswich and West Ham probably still have nightmares. He bagged 22 goals in the Premier League alone, finishing third in the Golden Boot race, and did it with one of the lowest penalty counts among the top scorers.

Erling Haaland is City's Relentless Scoring Machine

When City needed a hero, Haaland showed up. Big goals against Spurs and Fulham kept the title race alive and secured Champions League soccer for a 15th straight season.

Even at the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S., he found the net three times in four games. It was business as usual. According to the club, his form has been nothing short of ruthless since joining in 2022.

While names like Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe dominate the Ballon d’Or chatter, Haaland is right there with them.

The award ceremony takes place on Monday, Sept. 22, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. For now, Haaland has done what he does best: let the goals take care of the rest.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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