Erling Haaland on Fire: Nine Goals in Seven Games as Golden Boot Race Heats Up

Haaland Starts the Season in Relentless Form

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has kicked off the 2025/26 Premier League campaign in blistering fashion, netting nine goals in his first seven games.

While it’s not his personal best start — he managed 11 in his first seven games in 2022/23 and 10 last season — it’s still a dominant opening that places him three goals clear in the early race for the Golden Boot.

Even more impressively, none of his nine goals have come from penalties.

---

Why Haaland Is the Early Favourite

Injury aside, there are two major reasons why Haaland already looks like the overwhelming favourite to win the Golden Boot:

1. The number and quality of chances he’s getting, and

2. The slow starts from his main rivals, including Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min.

---

The Numbers Don’t Lie: xG Shows Haaland’s Dominance

A player’s expected goals (xG) value measures how likely a player is to score based on the number and quality of chances created.

So far this season, Haaland’s xG per shot stands at 0.27 — meaning players in his position typically score 27% of the chances he’s getting.

To put that into perspective:

• His xG per shot last season was 0.17.

• Only Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández has had easier average chances this season, thanks to two close-range tap-ins.

In other words, the quality of chances Haaland is getting has dramatically improved, partly due to City’s tactical tweaks under Pep Guardiola.

---

A Finisher and a Shot Machine

Haaland has taken 29 shots so far this season — 12 more than any other Premier League player.

Interestingly, he’s actually shot less than in the same stage of the last two seasons (30 in 2023/24 and 34 in 2024/25), but his shot quality has been much higher.

Even if he were an average finisher, his expected goals suggest he’d still be outscoring everyone else in the league.

---

Salah’s Slow Start Boosts Haaland’s Chances

Last season, despite Haaland’s explosive start, Mohamed Salah eventually overtook him to win the Golden Boot with 29 goals — seven more than the Norwegian.

This year, though, Salah has had his quietest Premier League start in years, scoring just half of Haaland’s tally and generating half of his xG compared to this stage last season.

Unless the Liverpool star hits top gear soon, the Golden Boot might already be slipping out of reach.

---

Final Thoughts

Erling Haaland’s incredible start — nine goals, all from open play — underlines his unrivalled efficiency in front of goal and City’s ability to create high-quality chances.

If he maintains this form and fitness, it may not just be another Golden Boot season for Haaland — it could be the start of a record-breaking campaign.