Erling Haaland vs Premier League Legends: Comparing hat-trick records
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How does Erling Haaland compare with Premier League icons like Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Didier Drogba?

Erling Haaland vs Premier League Legends: Comparing hat-trick records

Seye Omidiora 17:50 - 05.09.2024

Haaland recently notched his eighth hat-trick but how does he compare with Premier League icons like Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Didier Drogba?

Erling Haaland's consecutive Premier League hat-tricks at the start of the 2024-25 season have taken the Manchester City striker to eight in just 69 appearances. 

Haaland’s Man City hat-tricks

The forward notched trebles against Ipswich in gameweek two before netting another in the Cityzens’ 3-1 success over West Ham United before the September international break, adding both to the previous six in years one and two.

Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland with the match ball after his hat-trick for Man City against Ipswich

His other hat-tricks have come against Manchester United in his debut season and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the same campaign before scoring two trebles last term against Fulham and Wolves (he netted four in a 5-1 win). 

Haaland vs Premier League icons

With eight hat-tricks in just 69 appearances, Haaland has set a new speed record, surpassing the likes of Thierry Henry (258 matches), Harry Kane (320) and Michael Owen (326), according to The Guardian.

Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry scored three times for Arsenal in the final Premier League round in 2005-06 (Imago/Paul Marriott)

Haaland has twice scored consecutive league hat-tricks, first against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest in his debut season, and then against Ipswich and West Ham this season.

Only six players have ever accomplished this in the Premier League, with  Les Ferdinand holding the record for the shortest time between hat-tricks, set during the inaugural Premier League season for Queens Park Rangers over three days at Easter 1993. 

Didier Drogba, on the other hand, holds the record for the longest gap between successive hat-tricks, spanning over three months across two seasons on the final day against Wigan in May 2010 before scoring another on the opening weekend of the 2010-11 season against West Brom.

Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba scored a hat-trick on the final day of the 2009-10 season (Credit: Imago)

Ian Wright, Wayne Rooney and Kane are the other players to have scored consecutive hat-tricks in the Premier League. 

Wright scored consecutive hat-tricks in March 1994 against Ipswich and Southampton before Wayne Rooney followed suit, scoring three goals against Arsenal in an 8-2 victory and then netting another three in a 5-0 win over Bolton in the 2011-12 season.

Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney enjoyed a glittering playing career at Manchester United (Credit: Imago)

Kane — like Haaland — is the only other player to achieve this twice, scoring consecutive hat-tricks in the 2016-17 season against Leicester City and Hull City, and again against Burnley and Southampton later that year.

Robbie Fowler, with nine hat-tricks, is the player closest to Haaland's current tally (8), while Alan Shearer (11) and Sergio Aguero (12) complete the three-player list ahead of Haaland’s eight hat-tricks. 

Erling Haaland is the quickest to eight Premier League hat-tricks
Erling Haaland is the quickest to eight Premier League hat-tricks (Credit: The Guardian)

What comes next?

Haaland is currently on international duty with Norway who face Kazakhstan on September 6 before hosting Austria three days later.

The striker should return to Premier League action when Pep Guardiola's men host Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on September 14.