NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Before the World Cup, Zlatan Ibrahimović declared that Erling Haaland still has work to do to “catch up with the phenomenon of nature.” But after the Norwegian star scored twice in Norway’s 4-1 victory over Iraq, Ibrahimović is singing a different tune about Haaland.
Ibrahimović claimed that Haaland is “getting closer to Zlatan” after Tuesday’s performance.
“It’s a great start. This is what we wanted and we got it. It was all about Haaland,” Ibrahimović said on FOX’s “World Cup Live.”
“He may not have provided the assist for the last goal, but he was there and created a chance. The stars came out and turned him into a lion today. This is what gave me back. So I could put him on my ‘King of the Jungle’ list. He’s closing in on Zlatan. So we’re happy with his performance today.”
Haaland, 25, has become arguably the world’s top scorer in recent years, scoring at an elite level with Norway and Manchester City. But he had never played a World Cup match before Tuesday. And before the match, Ibrahimović only Haaland was ranked fifth on his “King of the Jungle” list. So Haaland still had something to prove.
Well, Haaland certainly showed that he is now ready for the World Cup. He is one of six players to have scored two goals in the World Cup, joining the likes of Frenchman Kylian Mbappé and others.
As Haaland taught another masterclass on Tuesday, here are some numbers to know about the Norwegian star.
33: Haaland has scored in 33 of his 51 games for Norway.
14: Norway has now won 14 consecutive games when Haaland scores (all competitions).
16: Norway is also undefeated all-time when it has a multi-goal game at 16-0-0 (WDL).
11: Tuesday was the 11th consecutive competitive international match (non-friendly) with a goal for Haaland. He has 22 goals in that span (including the two on Tuesday).
17: Haaland has scored at least one goal in 17 of his 20 official matches for Norway since the beginning of 2023 (30 goals).
16: Haaland’s 16 goals during World Cup qualifying led all players.
18: Haaland has scored 18 goals between the World Cup qualifiers and Tuesday’s game, averaging two goals per game in nine games.
9.17: Haaland posted a player rating of 9.17 in Tuesday’s match, according to FotMob. That’s the highest rating a player has had in any match so far in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. France’s Kylian Mbappé held the previous record, posting a player rating of 9.02 (according to FotMob) when he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Senegal.
162: In terms of club play, Haaland has scored in 162 of his 198 games for Manchester City.
3: Haaland has won the Premier League Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer in three of his first four seasons with Manchester City.
36: The 36 goals Haaland scored for Manchester City in the 2022-23 season are the most ever scored by a player in a single Premier League season.
How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 matches of the tournament will be broadcast live on FOX and FS1 and each match will be streamed live and on-demand within the FOX One and FOX Sports apps.
