Eric Haaland took his incredible haul for the season to 44 with a brace against Southampton on Saturday evening as Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points with a 4-1 win. The Norway international headed Manchester City into the lead just before half-time before hitting the back of the net with a sensational overhead kick.

Ronaldo and Messi ripped up the record books as they dominated world football but with both approaching the end of their careers, the City boss has now joined the same bracket as the legendary forwards.

On 10 May 2022, Premier League club Manchester City announced they had reached a deal to sign Haaland after activating his €60 million (£51.2 million) release clause. The deal was formalised on 13 June, with City announcing that Haaland would be joining the club on 1 July on a five-year contract. On 2 October, Haaland became the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick in three successive home games in City’s 6–3 win against Manchester United, in which he also got two assists. He also became the quickest player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks, doing so in eight league games and beating the previous record of 48 league games, set by Michael Owen in 1998.