The only 5 players to score in the first 5 weeks of a Premier League season: Haaland, Rooney…
Surprise, surprise – Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has broken another Premier League record and joined an exclusive club of players in the process.
The Norway international has become only the fifth player in over 30 seasons of Premier League football to score in the first five matchweeks of a Premier League season. Goalscoring greats including the likes of Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Thierry Henry haven’t managed it.
Here are the only five players to score in each of the first five matches of a Premier League campaign.
Jose Antonio Reyes (2004-05)
The first player to score in the first five weeks of a Premier League campaign is a slightly surprising name, given that the Spanish winger only scored a total of 16 Premier League goals for Arsenal.
Having been signed midway through the Gunners’ unforgettable 2003-04 campaign, Reyes kicked off their title defence in the form of his career – he scored against Everton, Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Norwich and Fulham.
Arsene Wenger’s men took maximum points from those five matches and produced some scintillating football, notching 19 goals.
Ultimately Arsenal and Reyes were unable to maintain that early pace. He ended the campaign with nine goals while Arsenal finished 12 points behind Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
Wayne Rooney (2011-12)
Manchester United might have endured a disappointingly trophyless 2011-12 campaign but their all-time top goalscorer was somewhere near the very peak of his powers.
Rooney ended that season, in which United were memorably pipped at the post by City, with a career-best tally of 27 Premier League goals.
He started as he meant to go on by notching in five successive victories over West Brom, Tottenham, Arsenal, Bolton and Chelsea. A frightening pace.
READ: 8 legendary goalscorers we can’t believe never won a Premier League Golden Boot
Sergio Aguero (2019-20)
Liverpool punctuated Manchester City’s imperial era of dominance by claiming the title in 2019-20, having left Pep Guardiola’s men eating their dust by dropping just two points from their first 27 matches of the campaign.
City inevitably struggled to keep up with that outrageous pace, particularly having dropped points early on with a draw at home to Spurs and shock 3-2 defeat away to Norwich City early on.
Amid their stuttering start, star man Sergio Aguero started off in fine fettle by scoring seven goals in their first six matches.
READ NEXT: The 10 fastest players to reach 100 goals at a club: Haaland, Ronaldo…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the top goalscorer from every Premier League season?
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (2020-21)
Given his injury struggles and Everton’s painful form, it’s easy to forget now that it wasn’t so long ago that Calvert-Lewin was at the front of the queue to serve as Harry Kane’s backup, occupying the spot held by the likes of Dominic Solanke, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins.
The Everton forward looked destined for the top when he kicked off the 2020-21 campaign on fire.
He set the early tone with a match-winner against Tottenham and went on to score against West Brom, Crystal Palace, Brighton and reigning champions Liverpool as the Toffees took 13 points from the first 15 on offer.
With Carlo Ancelotti in the dugout, Everton ended up in the top half that season. A different time.
Erling Haaland (2024-25)
Not only has Haaland joined an exclusive club, but he’s also smashed a new record by reaching 10 goals in the fewest games.
“I wish Roy Keane would have tackled his dad in his bollocks and I would have still had five Premier League records left,” reacted previous record holder Mick Quinn on Twitter.
Not exactly a classy touch but you can’t fault the honesty.