Manchester City forward Erling Haaland Samantha Madar/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK

Media sees perfection in Manchester City striker's five-goal Champions League effort

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated 3/15/23

Erling Haaland scored five goals in Tuesday's Champions League clash between Manchester City and RB Leipzig, but the Norwegian was quick to note that he has room to grow.

"I think I can get better at everything," the Man City striker told the media afterward, per The Guardian. "I've been missing a lot of chances with my left foot. I had one with the goalkeeper in the first half that I should've scored."

Gimme five! ✋ #mancity #UCL pic.twitter.com/REPP5m8lkp
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) March 14, 2023

While Haaland saw plenty of room for growth, global media saw sheer perfection. Haaland received a perfect 10/10 rating from several news outlets, including L'Equipe in France -- a notoriously stingy rater.
Only 15 players in history have received a perfect score from L'Equipe. This is Haaland's second in the 2022-23 season.

Man City fans around the globe will be heartened by the performance of Haaland and his sky-blue teammates. Despite their success at home in England, the club has yet to win the Champions League under Emirati ownership. Eleven straight attempts have all ended in failure.
"Of course the club want to win the Champions League," Haaland said. "They won the Premier League four times out of last five years, so they didn't bring me in to win the Premier League. I'm here to help the club develop even more, to try and win the Champions League for the first time."

Haaland's five goals tied the record for most goals in a Champions League match. Lionel Messi scored five against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 and Luiz Adriano did the same against BATE Borisov in 2014.
Messi and Adriano took well over eighty minutes to score their five. Haaland scored his in 57 minutes.

Even Marco Rose, the manager of RB Leipzig, couldn't help but be awed by Haaland's prowess.

"He was so hungry. he said, per Reuters. "He took the ball from the referee, that tells you it was a special night for him. Congrats to Erling."

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