Erling Haaland has been told exactly what stands between him and Ballon d'Or glory. According to former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise, the Manchester City striker must maintain an extraordinary goal-scoring output to compete with rising talents reshaping world football's hierarchy.
Riise, speaking to GOAL, acknowledged that Haaland should have claimed the award years ago. The Norwegian forward's 2022-23 season—52 goals in his debut campaign that delivered a Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League treble—seemed sufficient. Yet Lionel Messi's World Cup triumph in Qatar that year shifted the narrative. Messi claimed his eighth Ballon d'Or while Haaland finished runner-up, and he has not returned to the podium since.
The challenge facing Haaland extends beyond pure prolificacy. Riise highlighted how emerging players like Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise capture attention through technical brilliance and flair—qualities that resonate with voters. "If he's going to win it, he needs to have a system where he just scores a sh*tload of goals," Riise explained, noting that individual accolades require consistent dominance that becomes impossible to ignore.
Record-Breaking Form Continues
Haaland's credentials remain formidable. He reached 100 Premier League goals in just 111 appearances—a record that underscores his clinical finishing. His tally stands at 162 goals across 198 matches for City, positioning him to claim a third consecutive Golden Boot. Despite Manchester City's title loss to Arsenal and Champions League elimination by Real Madrid this season, Haaland's personal standards have not wavered.
The forward himself has downplayed the Ballon d'Or's importance in his annual thinking. "If you and your team are playing really well, you will perform well, you will begin to win trophies," he stated previously, suggesting that individual awards follow collective success naturally. That philosophy will be tested further when he takes the pitch under new managerial leadership, with Pep Guardiola departing Manchester City after a decade-long tenure.
Norway's qualification for the World Cup—their first since 1998—offers Haaland a platform to elevate his candidacy. International tournament performances can sway Ballon d'Or voting, as Messi's Qatar campaign demonstrated. Whether Haaland can orchestrate a compelling case in 2026 will depend on maintaining his extraordinary scoring consistency while lifting his team closer to European glory once again.
