+€20m in latest PL update 

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Erling Haaland continues to defy our expectations as football fans of how many goals a player can score in the Premier League. The Norwegian broke the record for goals scored in a single season in his first campaign in the English top-flight, scoring 36 league goals for Manchester City. Add to that the 27 he notched last term which saw him win the Golden Boot again. But this season he is eclipsing even his own mountainous standards. 10 goals in the Sky Blues’ first six Premier League games is unprecedented and has the 24 year old way ahead at the top of the goalscoring charts yet again.

This Tuesday October 1, Haaland was rewarded for his electric start to the season by becoming the standout most valuable player in the world on Transfermarkt. A Premier League intermediary update was carried out, and the Norwegian’s market value rose by +€20m to a new total of €200m. A figure that has only ever been reached once before in Tranfermarkt history by Kylian Mbappé back in 2018 whilst the Frenchmen was at PSG. It means Haaland moves ahead of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Mbappé who are valued at €180m. He may only be 24 years old, but it’s already been some journey for Haaland. From €200k to €200m – the making of a superstar.

€200k to €200m – Erling Haaland’s dramatic rise to the top

Haaland began his career, coming through the youth academy at Norwegian club Bryne. He joined them when he was just six years old. Perhaps given a step up from his father Alf-Inge Haaland being a professional footballer, it soon became clear Erling was far from living off his family’s reputation. He was given his first market value in December 2016 of €200k, aged 16, and with Bryne in the second division of Norwegian football. In early 2017, he made the move to one of Norway’s biggest clubs Molde for €100k, but his market value remained at €200k until over a year later.

In September 2018, Haaland’s market value rose from €200k to €2m. After a mediocre first campaign with the first team in which he scored just two goals in 14 games, the Norwegian began to show his eye for goal, notching 14 times in 25 league games for Molde in the 2018 season. After a further four goals in five Europa League qualifying matches, Austrian outfit RB Salzburg snapped him up €8m in January 2019. At this point Haaland’s market value stood at just €5m, but his elevation would soon begin to spiral out of control. 

During his time in Austria, Haaland scored 29 goals in 27 games. But it was perhaps the eight goals in six Champions League matches that had Europe taking notice of the teenager. That season only Robert Lewandowski scored more in Europe’s elite club competition. In January 2020, it prompted Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, renowned for improving young talent, to spend €20m to bring Haaland to Germany. At this time the Norwegian’s market value stood at €45m, with Dortmund activating a release clause in the player’s contract.

As the standards climbed, so did Haaland’s performances and output. His first experience playing in a top five league, and he was excelling. In just two and half seasons at Dortmund, Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 matches, providing a further 23 assists. This included 15 goals in 13 Champions League games. He had become one of the most sought after talents in world football, and his market value reflected that. It rose to €60m in February 2020, to €80m in March 2020, to €100m by November 2020. By the time he left Dortmund for his next challenge in July 2022, Haaland was worth €150m.

Manchester City appeared to have struck gold when they signed the prolific striker for just €60m, after activating his Dortmund release clause, but few could have anticipated quite the impact he would have on English shores. The Norwegian has become Europe’s most lethal goalscorer in the sky blue of Man City, scoring 100 goals in 106 games for Pep Guardiola’s team. His market value rose to €170m after just two months at the club, before hitting €180m in June 2023, and making him the joint most valuable player in the world, alongside just Mbappé at the time.

Then this October, the Norwegian was without doubt the story of the Premier League market value update. He was rewarded for his sensational start to the season, and his overall impact at Man City, by rising to €200m, and becoming the standout world MVP. Only Mbappé in 2018 has ever matched his new €200m valuation in Transfermarkt history. At just 24 years old, there’s no reason to believe that Haaland couldn’t still rise further in the future if he continues to produce his monstrous numbers. It’s been some journey for a player only in his eighth full season as a senior pro. A generational player.