Erling Haaland Breaks Premier League Record for Man City With Years of Hard Work
It only took Erling Haaland a little more than four seasons to score more headed goals for Manchester City than any other player in the club’s Premier League history, but the roots of this latest record can be traced back almost a decade.
Despite cutting a towering figure at 6'5", Haaland has never been a renowned header of the ball. In fact, just three of his first 27 goals for the club took advantage of his height. One of the most memorable strikes of the Norwegian’s career at the Etihad was his flying volley against Borussia Dortmund—an acrobatic back-heel six foot off the ground which surely would have been easier to score with his forehead.
Haaland did attempt to convert a seemingly simple header in the first Manchester derby of 2024 only to nod it over the bar. It was a blunder which stuck with him. “People say I’m good at scoring goals but I missed the biggest chance in the world ever,” he fretted long after the event. Now, Haaland rarely passes up such opportunities.
Erling Haaland has scored more headed goals than any other Man City player in Premier League history (20) pic.twitter.com/VWG8ThbYQN
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) September 5, 2026
As Enzo Fernández slipped Antoine Semenyo to the byline, Haaland made his move. Shrugging off a shove from Coventry City’s Aurèle Amenda, City’s No. 9 burst beyond the Swiss center back, undeterred by the meaty tug of his shirt, to crash into the ball at the back post. Haaland offered an impish look at Amenda lying in a heap in the six-yard box before celebrating the only goal of Saturday’s narrow win for City.
Just last week, Haaland also opened the scoring against Crystal Palace with a very different type of header, looping the ball over Dean Henderson thanks to another delivery from Semenyo. While this represents a continued rise in aerial output, Haaland has been working on this particular aspect of his game for years.
Haaland Owes His Success to One Enduring Principle
For Haaland, the secret to his success is simple: work.
“I think you can always get better in things,” the people’s champion of the 2026 World Cup mused last season. “With headers, you can always get better. You can never be good enough. It is something I try to practise still.”
This is a character who goes in search of every marginal gain he can find, whether it’s meditation, wearing blue-light glasses to protect against the glare of screens, drinking raw milk or walking around barefoot to connect with the Earth. In that context, staying behind at training to attack a few more crosses almost seems prosaic.
“I have been practicing my headers ever since I started in Molde in 2017 with Ole Gunnar [Solskjær] and Mark Dempsey,” Haaland added, harking back to his time in Norway with the former Manchester United striker. “You can see I’m getting better and better and there is still a long way to go.” There is a very long way to go in terms of the all time record for headed goals.
Haaland’s Chase for All-Time Premier League Record
Haaland is not close to Peter Crouch’s Premier League record of 53 headed goals. With 20 to his freshly shaved scalp, the Norwegian only boasts half of the tally accrued by former Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur icon Les Ferdinand, who was only 5'11" but blessed with a prolific leap.
There is naturally plenty of time for Haaland to climb the leader board—his current haul has come in a barely more than four years, while he has a contract with Manchester City until 2034. Given the upward trajectory of almost every facet of Haaland’s game, can any record really be put beyond his reach?
The Players With the Most Headed Goals in Premier League History
- Peter Crouch—53
- Alan Shearer—46
- Dion Dublin—45
- Les Ferdinand—40
- Dwight Yorke—38
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