Erling Haaland breaks record once held by Harry Kane & Neymar

Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has become the fastest player in football history to reach 50 international goals, surpassing the record once held by Harry Kane and Neymar.

Undoubtedly one of the best goal scorers in football history, Haaland has broken countless scoring records throughout his career so far, but this one is arguably his most impressive.

In the modern era, seven players who took the fewest games to score 50 international goals include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski.

However, Haaland managed to score his 50th goal for Norway in his 46th international appearance, meaning it took him 25 fewer matches than Kane to reach the same tally.

Erling Braut Haalan during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Norway and Israel. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

In June 2022, Kane managed to break Neymar’s record by scoring his 50th goal for England in his 71st match. The Bayern Munich forward held the record as the fastest player to score 50 international goals for just over three years, before Haaland overtakes him. .

Haaland scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 World Cup 2026 qualifier against Israel in Oslo. He scored in the 27th, 63rd, and 72nd minutes, bringing his total to 12 goals in World Cup qualifiers.

While it was a record breaking day for Haaland, the victory also leaves unblemished Norway in the driving seat to secure a return to the global tournament for the first time since the 1998 edition in France, with Italy trailing by six points but with an outstanding game in hand.

Haaland has been at the forefront of his nation’s impressive six-match winning streak, and Saturday’s hat-trick follows his five goals in an 11-1 victory against Moldova in September.

With the pace he’s currently scoring, he’s almost gaurenteed to become the quickest player to score 100 international goals in a few years time.