London, May 27 (IANS) Erling Haaland was named the Premier League’s Player of the Season on Saturday, after a record-breaking debut campaign in which he helped Manchester City claim their third straight league title.
The 22-year-old scored 36 goals in 35 games this season, breaking the previous record of 34 for a single Premier League season set by Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer in 42-match Premier League campaigns.
Only Dixie Dean, for Everton in 1927/28, has scored more goals across all competitions (63) in a top-flight English season than Haaland’s 52.
The Norwegian is also the first player in the Premier League to score hat-tricks in three successive home matches, and the first Man City player to score a Manchester derby hat-trick since 1970.
Haaland becomes the third successive Man City player, and fourth overall, to claim the accolade, after Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20 and 2021-22, while Ruben Dias took the honour in 2020-21. Vincent Kompany was the first, in 2011-12.
The striker was voted the Player of the Season by the public, the captains of the 20 Premier League clubs and a panel of football experts.
Haaland beat seven other nominees to the prize in De Bruyne, Harry Kane, Martin Odegaard, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Trippier. He will have the chance to add to his Premier League tally on Sunday when City visit Brentford for their final game of the season.
–IANS
ak/bsk
