Remember when the race for the Premier League Golden Boot was fiercely competitive? The top scorer’s honor was shared between Son Heung-min and Mohamed Salah in 2021-22, while in 2018-19, three players finished the season at the top of the charts with 22 goals. There was just a single goal separating the top two in 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2015-16.

Then came Erling Haaland. Last year, the Manchester City striker shattered records by scoring an unprecedented 36 goals in his debut season in England, surpassing the league’s previous record set in 1995. He finished with six goals more than the closest contender, Harry Kane, marking the largest margin between top scorer and runner-up since 2014.

Despite missing nearly two months due to a foot ιnjᴜry that lingered even after his return to action, Haaland is poised to claim another Golden Boot this season—and by a significant margin once again. His remarkable performance against Wolves propelled him to 25 league goals for the season, four ahead of second-placed Cole Palmer.

With 36 goals in all competitions, there’s a strong possibility of him reaching 40 by the end of the campaign, and achieving the 30-goal mark in the league is well within reach. Yet, there’s a sense that Haaland’s accomplishments are not receiving the recognition they deserve.

The day following Haaland’s goal-scoring feat against Wolves, the winners of the Football Writers Awards were announced. While Haaland had won the мen’s Footballer of the Year prize last year with an overwhelming majority, this time, his teammate Phil Foden claimed the award. What was surprising, however, was that Haaland received no votes at all. Despite leading the scoring charts all season, not a single journalist deemed him the best player in England.

It could be argued that Haaland has become a victim of his own success, with his consistent goal-scoring normalizing his extraordinary tallies. However, his achievements are anything but ordinary. Sergio Aguero, City’s all-time top scorer, surpassed 25 league goals only once during his tenure with the club, and he never reached 36 goals in all competitions. Similarly, Kane and Salah have only achieved such milestones once each in their respective careers.

In addition to effectively securing the Golden Boot, Haaland reached another remarkable milestone on Saturday—he has now scored 201 club goals in the last five seasons for Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, and City, averaging 40 goals per campaign. Despite the immense pressure on him to score consistently, Haaland has maintained an exceptional level of performance throughout his career.

While his overall play may not match up to some of the game’s legends, Haaland’s ability to find the back of the net should not be underestimated. He faces intense scrutiny when he fails to score, but his dedication to goal-scoring sets him apart and continues to make him a force to be reckoned with.