Goal-machine Erling Haaland chases down Cristiano Ronaldo's UEFA Champions League record, with Borussia Dortmund reunion the latest step on the road

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Manchester City welcome Borussia Dortmund to Etihad Stadium in the latest round of UEFA Champions League action live on discovery+, and all eyes will be on Erling Haaland. The former Dortmund striker, now at City, will be looking to continue his incredible scoring run this season, as well as punish the German club where he says he became "a man".

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Erling Haaland simply cannot stop scoring at the moment.

The Norwegian goal machine’s brace against Bournemouth in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory marked his 12th and 13th Premier League goals this campaign to date – more than double his closest challengers, who sit on six strikes.

Including Europe and his exploits for Norway, the 25-year-old is on 26 goals from 16 appearances for club and country by just the first week of November!

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City’s next assignment is in the UEFA Champions League, as they welcome Borussia Dortmund to Etihad Stadium, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The German side are, of course, familiar with Haaland, having nurtured and benefited from his talents for two and a half seasons before his move to Manchester, but should not, and will not, be expecting any sympathy from their former star.

From his very first appearance in the competition, the Champions League has been a more than fertile breeding ground for Haaland and his goals…

Red Bully

Haaland exploded onto the Champions League scene when he made his debut for FC Red Bull Salzburg on September 17, 2019.

Belgian side Genk were his first but, of course, by no means his only victims. Haaland, then 19, struck three times inside 45 minutes of their group stage match-up to become the first player to score a first-half debut hat-trick in the history of the competition.

While Europe stood up and took notice of the feat, fans of the Austrian side were already accustomed to the player’s heroics, given it was his fourth hat-trick of that season in all competitions before the season had even reached October.

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There was no stopping him either, with a goal against Liverpool, three over two games against Napoli and another against poor Genk, making it an incredible eight goals in his first five Champions League matches.

At this point, his departure felt inevitable, and it would be Dortmund who would capture his signature in the January transfer window.

Due to the relaxed rules about being cup-tied in Europe, he was able to feature for the Bundesliga side in their Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

Proving that his goal spree with Salzburg was no fluke, Haaland struck twice in the first leg – including an incredible 25-yard rocket – to give his side a 2-1 win and hit double figures for goals in his first season playing in the competition.

He was unable to add to this as a 2-0 second-leg loss saw him exit the Champions League for the second time in the same campaign.

Erling Haaland's goals in 2019/20 Champions League campaign

For Red Bull Salzburg	Goals
v Genk (h) - 6-2 W	3
v Liverpool (a) - 4-3 L	1
v Napoli (h) - 3-2 L	2
v Napoli (a) - 1-1 D	1
v Genk (a) - 4-1 W	1
For Borussia Dortmund
v Paris Saint-Germain (h) - 2-1 W	2
Total	8

Breakthrough at Dortmund

The following season, Haaland would hit double figures in the competition again, scoring six times in the group stage despite being injured for the final two matches.

He would return for the last 16 with a brace in either leg of a 5-4 aggregate win over Sevilla, making it 10 in the competition for the second season running and seeing him claim the golden boot.

However, his journey would come to an end in the quarter-finals at the hands of a certain Man City, with Haaland failing to find the target in either leg.

The 2021/22 edition of the competition saw him score just three goals, albeit in just three games, as injuries impacted his overall contribution, with Dortmund exiting at the group stage.

He did sign off on what would be his last Champions League match for the club with a brace in a 5-0 win over Besiktas.

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"I became more of a man there," Haaland said of Dortmund when speaking to TNT Sports ahead of this week's game.

"The club taught me so much. Not only my playing, but as a human. I had an amazing time there.

"It was the perfect step for me. When I spoke with them, they said they wanted to develop me and use me.

"They trust you as a young player to come and prove yourself. In the end, it was a good choice."

Erling Haaland's Champions League record for Borussia Dortmund

	Games played	Goals scored
2019/20	2	2
2020/21	8	10
2021/22	3	3

City of Dreams

A year later, Haaland swapped Dortmund yellow for City blue and after giving Sevilla the business yet again with another brace in his first European outing for Pep Guardiola’s side, he would then bite the hand that once fed him in stunning style.

If the fear was not there for Niko Kovac’s side ahead of this latest reunion, the German only needed to look back on this Etihad meeting from September 14, 2022, when the Norwegian’s stunning acrobatic effort settled a 2-1 win in City’s favour.

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And Dortmund were not the only German side to suffer that season, as Haaland netted a remarkable five times in City’s 7-0 second leg win over RB Leipzig, as well as goals in both legs against Bayern Munich in the quarters, as City went on to lift the trophy for the first time as part of a historic treble.

For Haaland’s part, his 12 goals saw him claim the competition’s golden boot award for the second time to add to his haul of trophies for his new side that year.

Erling Haaland goals in 2022/23 Champions League for Man City

	Goals
v Sevilla (a) - 4-0 W	2
v Dortmund (h) - 2-1 W	1
v Copenhagen (h) - 5-0 W	2
v RB Leipzig (h) - 7-0 W	5
v Bayern Munich (h) - 3-0 W	1
v Bayern Munich (a) - 1-1 D	1
Total	12

Such was his goalscoring prowess, his six goals the following campaign – still joint-third top scorer that year – looked comparatively low as City bowed out at the semi-final stage to Real Madrid.

Despite an even earlier exit the following year in the play-off round to the same opponents, Haaland still managed eight goals in nine appearances, including a brace in the 3-2 first leg defeat.

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This season, the striker has four goals from City’s opening three matches, with his next opponents and former friends in Dortmund fearing the worst.

Erliang Haaland's Champions League record for Man City

	Games played	Goals scored
2022/23	11	12
2023/24	9	6
2024/25	9	8
2025/26*	3	4

*To date

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Ronaldo on the radar

Overall, Haaland has 53 goals in the competition to date, already ninth on the all-time list.

At the top of that list is Cristiano Ronaldo with an incredible 140 goals, which may seem an unattainable feat to most.

But with an average of 1.04 goals per game currently, City’s frontman would surpass the Portuguese legend if he were to keep up that rate of scoring for another 85 games in the competition.

Again, it may seem like a lot, but having recently signed a lengthy new deal, as well as no sign of his form letting up, it may not be an impossible task.

Champions League all-time top scorers

	Goals	Games played
Cristiano Ronaldo	140	183
Lionel Messi	129	163
Robert Lewandowski	105	135
Karim Benzema	90	152
Raul	71	142
Kylian Mbappe	60	90
Thomas Muller	57	163
Ruud van Nistelrooy	56	73
Erling Haaland	53	51