Jamie Carragher claims Erling Haaland is 'greatest goal-scorer to ever play in English football' as Man City striker is ranked above Alan Shearer, Harry Kane & Ian Rush

Haaland has found the net on nine occasions through seven Premier League appearances in 2025-26, moving him clear of the chasing pack in the race for a third Golden Boot. The 25-year-old’s overall output for City stands at 136 strikes in 155 games, while his record-setting tally for Norway has moved on to 48 from 45 caps. His numbers are similar to those once posted by all-time greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Haaland appears to be on course to rewrite the history books, with a 10-year contract being committed to at the Etihad Stadium that is set to take him through to the summer of 2034. If that deal is to be seen out, then a place in English football folklore will be safely secured. Carragher believes the powerful frontman will go down as the best to grace the English game.

Former Liverpool and England defender Carragher told Sky Sports when assessing Haaland, who displayed more brute strength and unerring finishing ability when seeing City to a 1-0 victory over Brentford: “I think we're watching the greatest goal-scorer to ever play in English football. I honestly can't remember Jimmy Greaves, Dixie Dean and all those players from years ago. But I think of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Ian Rush for my club Liverpool. There's a difference for me between a great centre-forward or striker and a goal-scorer. I think what we're witnessing now is something we've never seen before in our game and don't forget, this is a club where the goal-scorer beforehand was Sergio Aguero, one of the greatest we'll ever see. This is on a completely different level to Aguero. He's the best.”

Haaland is showing no sign of slowing down, despite all that he has already achieved, with the birth of his son in December 2024 giving the formidable Norwegian even more to play for. He told Sky Sports when asked if he is in the best form of his career: “You can say so, I’ve never felt better than I do now. I think it’s about preparation first of all, getting ready for the games and I spoke so many times about it before, you can be physically ready but you need to be mentally ready as well.

“To be honest with a kid I think it makes me even better because I actually disconnect more than ever, I don’t think about football at all. Sometimes when you’re younger you think of this and that and maybe worry a little bit about things. But now when I go home I relax even more so I think I need to give a shout out to my son.”

City boss Pep Guardiola, who has distanced Haaland from any transfer talk, said when giving the Blues’ fearsome No.9 his own big billing: “I said one month ago he is the best and that year we won the treble, I don’t know how many goals he scored - maybe 50 million goals. But now he signed a contract for many years - we have to find him more, but he is more involved in the game, not just in the finishing, he is more on the ball and he work a lot his ethic, pressing and I am really pleased and I hope this week with Norway he can score more and come back fit for the Everton game.”

Haaland will form part of the Norway squad that is set to face Israel in a World Cup qualifier next weekend. They sit top of their qualification group at present, with Haaland looking to grace the first major international tournament of his career when FIFA’s flagship event heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.