Erling Haaland record: Norway's sharpshooter eclipses Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with Israel hat-trick

More records fell for Erling Haaland on Saturday as the Norway striker scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 World Cup 2026 qualifier against Israel in Oslo.

Haaland netted in the 27th, 63rd, and 72nd minutes, bringing his total to 12 goals in World Cup qualifiers, while Anan Khalaili and Idan Nachmias scored at the wrong end to complete the scoring for the Group I leaders.

Matchday six’s victory leaves unblemished Norway in the driving seat to secure a return to the global tournament for the first time since the 1998 edition in France, with Italy trailing by six points but with an outstanding game in hand.

Haaland has been at the forefront of his nation’s impressive six-match winning streak, and Saturday's hat-trick follows his five goals in an 11-1 victory against Moldova in September.

The formidable striker became the first man since Hans Krankl in 1977 to score as many in a European World Cup qualifier, as Stale Solbakken's men devastated their opponents, and his latest achievement saw him reach another milestone.

Haaland beats Messi, Ronaldo, Kane to international landmark

Haaland's goals against Israel mean he has now scored 51 goals for Norway in just 46 appearances, reaching the landmark quicker than several notable marksmen.

According to Opta, the Norwegian has achieved this milestone faster than Harry Kane, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski and the legendary duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Remarkably, Haaland reached a half-century of international goals 25 games sooner than Kane, who previously led the list among the players mentioned.

Highlighting the significance of the Manchester City striker's achievement, his latest milestone is even more impressive considering Mbappe and Lewandowski needed 90 international games for France and Poland, respectively, while Messi and Ronaldo reached that figure after 107 and 114 appearances for Argentina and Portugal.

50 – Games taken to reach 50 senior international goals (select players):

Erling Haaland (Norway) – 46
Harry Kane (England) – 71
Neymar (Brazil) – 74
Kylian Mbappé (France) – 90
Robert Lewandowski (Poland) - 90
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 107
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 114… pic.twitter.com/eJpe7jJHb4
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 11, 2025

Is Haaland currently the most in-form striker in Europe?

While Haaland has scored nine times in the Premier League and 12 in total for Man City, the Norwegian is not clearly superior to others in European football.

Despite adding nine international goals to his 12 club strikes, Haaland is not the only highly performing forward on the continent this season.

Kane and Mbappe have had explosive starts to the 2025-26 season, with the Englishman netting 18 goals in 10 games for Bayern across all competitions, alongside his one for the Three Lions.

Mbappe has scored three goals for France this season, bringing his total to 17 goals for the season, having already scored 14 in 10 appearances for Real Madrid overall.