Erling Haaland names the two strikers better than him after World Cup brace in Norway's win over Iraq

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Erling Haaland admitted he is not the best striker in the world following his brace against Iraq, having fallen short of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe’s goalscoring tallies this season.

'Statistically, no I'm not' - Haaland refutes claim he's best striker in the world

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Haaland, whose goals in Norway’s 4-1 win on Tuesday were his first at a World Cup, scored 38 times in 52 appearances for Manchester City in all competitions during the 2025/26 season.

Mbappe, meanwhile, bagged 42 goals in 44 appearances for Real Madrid, while Kane scored a staggering 61 times in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich.

The pair were well clear at the top of the scoring charts in the UEFA Champions League, with Mbappe scoring 15 times and Kane just one behind.

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"Goals scored, I will say, I'm up there,” Haaland said when asked if he is the best centre-forward in the world following Norway’s opener in Boston.

”I don't think I scored the most goals this season. So, statistically, no. I'm not. Because I think Harry Kane and Mbappe have scored more goals for me, and that's reality. So, no, I'm not."

'The best striker in world football' - Haaland hailed after scintillating World Cup debut

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Haaland's Norway team-mate Patrick Berg disagreed, telling reporters: "He is the best striker in world football.

"You can see today, the way he worked for us was magnificent. He really played a great game."

Despite his failure to match Mbappe and Kane in club terms, Haaland continues to deliver hugely impressive figures.

His 38 goals for City this season add to his season tallies of 52, 38 and 34 following his arrival at the Etihad in the summer of 2022.

His goals in Tuesday’s win were his 56th and 57th for Norway in just his 51st appearance for his national team.

It comes following his haul of 16 goals in qualifying, which was twice the tally of any other player for a European nation, as Norway won all eight games.

Kane struck eight times as England also enjoyed a perfect campaign, while Mbappe scored five goals as France took 16 points from a possible 18.

Haaland’s double against Iraq came after Mbappe’s brace against Senegal earlier in the day, with the France captain taking his overall World Cup tally to 14 goals.

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It put the 27-year-old joint third with Gerd Muller on the all-time list before Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria just hours later saw the Frenchman drop back down to joint fourth on a day when the tournament's talismanic forwards stepped up.

Kane will hope to enjoy a similarly prolific start when England face Croatia on Wednesday evening.

Haaland and Mbappe, meanwhile, will meet in their nations' final group game on June 26, while the Norway striker will be looking to add to his tally when his side take on Senegal on Tuesday.

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