'You would say that's an OK season!' - Erling Haaland outlines how he is held to a higher goal-scoring standard than his rivals as Man City hitman calls out Gary Lineker

Haaland has set all kinds of records since joining City and hit a new landmark in the team's recent 5-4 win over Fulham. The striker became the fastest player ever to score 100 Premier League goals, managing the feat in just 111 games and smashing Alan Shearer's previous record of 100 strikes from 124 matches. Haaland has already hit the 20-goal mark for the 2025-26 season in all competitions and his goal-scoring feats mean he is once again one of the favourites to win the European Golden Shoe this season.

Haaland has now been quizzed on his goal-scoring ambitions by Gary Lineker and Shearer on the The Rest is Football podcast. The striker was asked if he set himself targets ahead of the start of a new season. Twenty goals is generally considered to be the benchmark for most top strikers, but Lineker cheekily claimed that Haaland's target "is 40" which received the following response from the Man City star.

What would be a good season for me? I think if I got 20 goals you'd say 'it’s an OK season'. If City win the league and I got 25 goals I think it would be 'a good season', 30 goals it would be 'a really good season', 35 goals 'an amazing season', 36 goals 'a really, really good season'," he said with a smile.

Haaland currently has 15 goals from 15 Premier League outings in the 2025-26 campaign and sits top of the scoring charts in the English top flight.

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Haaland also admitted that he simply has to keep banging in the goals for City or the club will look to replace him. He added: "If not, they have to replace me. Because if I’m not delivering the goals and the things they need, they have to replace me. So there is a lot of pressure on me to deliver."

The Norwegian also spoke about how he feels the Premier League is the best place for him, particularly working under Guardiola.

"I'm calm, I'm focused, and I'm really happy here, so it's a really good place to be for development. Also in the end, England, it's a football country, and I think it's the best place to play football. I mean, he [Pep] signed a new contract, was it before or after me? I'm not sure. But I knew he was staying for another year or another year-and-a-half, with his contract right now. 

"But most of the conversations were with his bosses and my boss as well, because I remember my father said when I was really, not young, but like 10 years ago, he said like, 'Never go to a club because of the manager', which sometimes can be difficult. But also, you never know what's going to happen in the modern world.

"But again, Pep was a big reason why I came to City, of course, to work with him and to be able to experience him and his special ways and his hard work and all of these things. So it's kind of a mix there."

Haaland will be aiming to be in the goals again on Wednesday against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League. The hosts come into the match under a cloud, following defeat to Celta Vigo last time out, and with manager Xabi Alonso's future in the spotlight. Another defeat to Haaland and Co. would pile more pressure on the Spaniard after a tricky start to life back in the Spanish capital.