'Erling is who Ronaldo thinks he is!': Football reacts to Haaland hat-trick heroics
Erling Haaland sent the footballing world into raptures after the Manchester City forward netted his second hat-trick in two games.
The former Dortmund man has now shattered a Premier League record by scoring nine goals in his first five appearances, surpassing former City forward Sergio Aguero and Mick Quinn, both who had eight.
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Haaland's ruthless display provoked a host of responses across social media, leaving some fans awestruck and others simply stunned by the fear of the Norweigan terrorising the Premier League for many years to come.
Haaland now has as many Premier League hat-tricks as players such as Sadio Mane, Son Heung-Min, Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale, all inside his first five games.
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Some Premier League fans were hit with the realisation that they were the latest targets of Haaland's goalscoring exploits, with social media personality Chunkz tweeting that the striker was 'treating [the] Prem like [the] Bundesliga'.
Fans were not the only ones paying attention to Haaland, with his former Dortmund teammate Mats Hummels among a host of players to give their reaction.
Oh @ErlingHaaland keeps scoring. Thats a surprise 👀
— Mats Hummels (@matshummels) August 31, 2022
You’re fighting someone, he’s brutally stronger than you then also picks up a machete.
That’s City with Haaland.— Saddick Adams (@SaddickAdams) August 31, 2022
Haaland with back to back hat-tricks… pic.twitter.com/INJrgWPfac
— Sam Homewood (@SamHomewood) August 31, 2022
Others also could not help but compare him to other Premier League legends, with one fan tweeting that 'Haaland is who Ronaldo thinks he is'.
Not only were players being compared but teams also, with Haaland's nine goals being a higher total than Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and West Ham combined.
There’s a genuine feeling inside the Etihad that Erling Haaland is going to score every time City get into the final third.
This isn’t normal. The man is revolutionising goal scoring in the Premier League and he’s not even played five games yet. pic.twitter.com/uGywZj9sVf— Tom Young (@TomYoungSJ) August 31, 2022
Some supporters were also hit with the realisation that, with Norway not qualifying for the upcoming World Cup, Haaland will have a five-week break to recharge before being able to 'reload' for the second-half of the season.
With City showing no signs of slowing down, Haaland's goalscoring spree could continue, leaving fans wondering whether the striker has simply broken football as well as social media.