Lionel Messi’s best goalscoring season in the legendary 2011-2012 campaign is threatened as Haaland is scoring at a rate that would set to break Messi’s record season.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was at his peak during 2011-12 with his performance statistically being off the charts. We never thought we would see such a performance again, but Haaland’s numbers suggest how outrageous he is on the field and how his record might be broken.
Lionel Messi’s best-ever season – 2011-12
73 goals for Barcelona
- 50 – La Liga
- 14 – Champions League
- 3 – Copa del Rey
- 3 – Spanish Super Cup / Club World Cup / UEFA Super Cup
9 goals for Argentina
- 6 – International friendlies
- 3 – 2014 World Cup qualifiers
Total Goals: 82
Goals Per Game: 1.19
Under Guardiola’s management, the fans saw Messi break all kinds of records. Despite his record-breaking season with Barcelona, the La Liga title was taken by Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, after being knocked out of the semi-finals against Chelsea in the Champions League.
At the same stage of the 2011-12 season, Messi had scored 24 goals in 22 games for Barcelona and Argentina. Haaland is currently four ahead.
Erling Haaland’s 2025-26 so far
19 goals for Manchester City
- 14 – Premier League
- 5 – Champions League
9 goals for Norway
- 1 – International friendlies
- 8 – 2026 World Cup qualifiers
Total Goals: 28
Goals Per Game: 1.55
Also read: Messi Reaches 400 Assists Milestone: Top 5 Players with Most Assists in Football History
Will Haaland Break Messi’s Record?
Haaland’s rate of 1.55 goals per game in all competitions could see him become the first top-level player to break the 100-goal barrier in a single campaign. Mathematically, Haaland would need to increase his goalscoring rate to 1.27 goals per game in the Premier League if he’s to beat Messi’s record of 50 league goals from 2011-12, though – he’s currently tracking to end on 48.
If Haaland maintains the current pace he is at and matches the number of games messing played in 2011-12, then he’s currently on track to score 106 goals for club and country in 2025-26. But those possibilities run on big stakes.
Manchester City’s forward seems to peak his fitness and looks incredibly sharp now. Although, staying out of an injury throughout the entire season is a big ask. For now, Guardiola has restricted the Norwegian from any club league cup outings, and the team manages to stay in the competition in his absence. However, Haaland could feature from the quarter finals onwards.
That’s up to four games, plus potentially six more in the FA Cup. With the revised expanded Champions League format, there are now eight league phase games and two more potential qualifiers.
He’s already played in three games for Norway and may feature in six more over the three international windows, with the World Cup excluded. In total, that’s up to 74 games – potentially five more than Messi played in 2011-12.
But in the possibility of all the scenarios of rest, City exiting one or all of the cup tournaments in the initial stages, the potential injuries, it still looks like a long shot for Haaland to match Messi’s 69 match appearances tally that year.
Written by: Atin Kevin Fernandez