Borussia Dortmund are well aware of Erling Haaland’s ability to annihilate defences in the Champions League, but the German giants may die by the sword they once lived by when they visit Manchester City on Wednesday.
During his two-and-a-half years in Germany, Haaland developed into one of the world’s most feared strikers, scoring 86 goals in 89 games for Dortmund.
The giant Norway striker with a devastating turn of speed has already scored 12 goals for the English champions in just eight games.
“His numbers in his career, not just here but in previous teams, are quite similar,” City manager Pep Guardiola said after Haaland scored twice in a 4-0 win over Sevilla to kick off City’s latest Champions League bid.
“He has a fantastic sense of goal.”
After outgrowing his surroundings in the Bundesliga, Haaland’s 60 million euro (£51 million, $63 million) buyout clause gave him a choice of clubs.
Dortmund may provide the ideal environment for Europe’s top talents to develop in their early years, but they cannot compete financially with the continent’s wealthiest clubs, nor can they satisfy the long-term ambitions of the world’s best players.
Haaland joined the ranks of Jadon Sancho, Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Robert Lewandowski, and Mario Goetze as future stars to leave their mark in western Germany.
However, the loss of Haaland may be the most significant of all, with the 22-year-old threatening to rewrite records set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi that many thought would stand for generations.
Haaland’s double against Sevilla brought his Champions League tally to 25 goals in 20 games.
At the same point in their careers, Ronaldo, the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer with 140, had yet to score, while Messi had eight goals in his first 20 matches in Europe’s top club competition.
“I love the Champions League, and I have to say, it’s a big dream for me,” Haaland told Telemundo Deportes this week, revealing that the competition’s anthem is his phone’s ringtone.
“I listen to this song every morning when I wake up; it’s my favourite competition.”
Haaland’s haul in the Champions League was also one of the reasons City were desperate to sign him as the club’s all-time leading scorer, Sergio Aguero.
City has won four Premier League titles in the last five years and six in total over the last decade under Guardiola.
Despite the billions of dollars invested in the club by Abu Dhabi since 2008, the club has yet to win the Champions League.
They came agonisingly close the previous two seasons, losing their first ever final to Chelsea in 2021 before blowing a two-goal lead in stoppage time against eventual winners Real Madrid in May.
Any fears that bringing in a superstar would destabilise the collective effort that has defined City’s success under Guardiola have been dispelled in a matter of weeks.
“This fella is going to break almost every goalscoring record there is,” ex-England striker Michael Owen tweeted.
“He’s too big, too fast, too clinical in front of goal, and he’s on a team that creates dozens of chances.”
Dortmund is well aware of what is to come. It’s a different story stopping the momentum of the man mountain they used to call their own.
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