When could Erling Haaland break Cristiano Ronaldo's international goal record? | OneFootball

Erling Haaland added two more goals to his remarkable collection for Norway this week, netting twice in a 3-2 win over Denmark in the Nations League.

Haaland has now scored 64 goals for his country, with hisbrace against the Danes taking him past Ronaldo Nazario and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the all-time international standings.

It's esteemed company to keep.

The 26-year-old remains joint-35th overall for goals in international men's football, but the record-breaking forward will have his sights set on the number one spot.

Cristiano Ronaldo's record is some way in the distance, but Haaland's goal-per-game ratio suggests he could get there.

Haaland has scored his 64 goals for Norway in just 56 caps, averaging 1.14 goals per game for his country.

Ronaldo, in contrast, has averaged 0.62 goals per game for Portugal, though his international career has spanned 23 years and counting, across 234 appearances

Among players to have scored at least 50 international goals since the Second World War, nobody comes close to Haaland's rate. Only Denmark's Poul Nielsen, who scored 52 goals in 38 matches between 1910 and 1925, boasts a better record.

When could Erling Haaland break Cristiano Ronaldo's record?

Haaland has now scored 37 goals in his last 27 caps for Norway, improving his recent record to 1.37 goals per game.

At that rate, Haaland would need another 60 appearances to match Ronaldo's current record of 146 goals. The problem? Ronaldo isn't finished yet, giving Haaland a moving target. At 41, Ronaldo has extended his international career post-World Cup as he chases a mythical 1000 career goals.

Haaland has averaged 7.7 caps per calendar year since becoming a regular in 2020, meaning it would take him around eight years on his current trajectory to topple the record.

The maths, then, is the easy part. Longevity is the unknown.

Ronaldo's record has been built not only on goals, but an extraordinary ability to remain at international level for more than two decades. Haaland would need something similar.

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