Historic numbers: Haaland signs off a double feat not reached by Messi or Ronaldo

The Norwegian star Erling Haaland has put himself in a "statistical" position not reached by the greats of the game, even those who dominated the throne of football for many years.

Fans have grown used to measuring record figures against those set by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet the Norwegian has now pulled off a double feat neither of them can claim, reclaiming a historic mark that had carried the name of German legend Gerd Müller for more than half a century.

It happened on Saturday evening at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, as Norway hosted Wales in the fifth round of Group Four in League A of the UEFA Nations League. Haaland drove the hosts to a 3-1 win, slotting home a penalty in the 88th minute to cap an outstanding night both individually and collectively.

Haaland also claimed the assist for Andreas Schjelderup's goal, feeding the forward to strike from inside the area. In his 79 minutes on the pitch, the Manchester City star touched the ball just 19 times, completed 9 passes and converted both of his two shots on target. He created one big chance and wasted another. He made no defensive interventions and won 3 duels, according to ESPN data.

A dangerous duo with teammate Antonio Nusa produced the second goal, with Haaland receiving the pass and laying it off to Schjelderup, before calmly settling the result from the spot after a video review. His build-up involvement was limited compared to his teammates, but his presence in the box proved decisive. He turned a low-touch display into a goal and an assist, steering Norway back towards victory after a first-half stumble.

That penalty took Erling Haaland's Norway tally to 66 goals in 60 internationals, a scoring rate that places him in unprecedented historic company.

According to a statistic shared by the "Stats Foot" account, the Manchester City striker became the first European player to reach 66 goals in his first 60 internationals since Gerd Müller, who hit the same mark in a Germany shirt in 1974. It is a striking parallel between two strikers separated by more than five decades.

The international goals are only half of it. The same statistic revealed a rarer distinction: Haaland is the only player in football history to average more than a goal per game both for his senior national team and in the UEFA Champions League, among those who have scored at least 20 goals in each.

Norway moved to 6 points, keeping alive their hopes of chasing second place in the group. They travel to Denmark for the final round on Tuesday evening.