Haaland beats 41-goal Lewandowski to Bundesliga Player of the Year crown

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
• 6 min read

Erling Haaland’s burgeoning reputation has been enhanced further as the Borussia Dortmund player has beaten Robert Lewandowski to the Bundesliga Player of the Year award.

Haaland, scored 27 times and created six more in 28 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund as they made a late sprint to qualify for the Champions League.

READ MORE: ‘Premier League is the only destination for €600m Haaland’

The decision, though, is a controversial one as Lewandowski shattered the German top-flight’s scoring record by scoring 41 times and creating seven in 29 fixtures. It had previously been considered that no-one would be able to touch Gerd Muller’s mark of 40.

Bundesliga 2020/21: Haaland v Lewandowski

“An honour to be awarded with the Bundesliga Player of the Season! An achievement not just for me but for the whole Borussia Dortmund family. We won this award together!” Haaland posted on Instagram.

For Haaland, winning this prize will only increase his marketability at a time when he is more in the public eye than ever before in his career.

The Dortmund ace appears to be pushing for a summer transfer, although it could prove complicated as his club are asking for a price in the region of €150 million – a value simply more than what the vast majority of sides are able to offer this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Haaland’s latest award only gives Dortmund more ammunition to retain the man voted as the outstanding Bundesliga player for 2020/21.

Where could he go?

Agent Mino Raiola has publicly flirted with Barcelona and Real Madrid, though the collapse of the European Super League project likely means that Haaland much too expensive for either to afford.

Meanwhile, serious interest is thought to come from the Premier League, where Manchester City and Chelsea appear to be best positioned to complete a move this summer.

With a minimum fee release clause in his deal set to come into effect next summer, Haaland is unlikely to be at Dortmund more than one additional year, with Bayern Munich thought to be eyeing him as a long-term replacement to Lewandowski when his price drops.

The Pole is not fully settled at Bayern, with rumours circulating that he wants one more great challenge before he hangs up his boots.