Haaland makes a bold statement in the Golden Shoe race against Mbappe

Erling Haaland acknowledges his scoring performance has fallen short of expectations amid the intense 2025/26 European Golden Shoe battle featuring Kane and Mbappé.

Erling Haaland has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the 2025/26 European Golden Shoe after a start considered one of the strongest in his career. The Manchester City striker stands alongside Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé in the competition for the most prestigious individual award for Europe’s top scorers. However, right after ending his recent goal drought, Haaland candidly assessed himself: “I haven’t scored enough goals yet.”

After reaching a personal milestone of 10 or more goals in the first 8 rounds of the Premier League, Haaland has struggled to maintain his scoring rate recently. Since scoring against Brighton on January 7, the Norwegian striker had to wait until February 8 to find the net again, breaking a four-match goalless streak with a goal against Liverpool.

Having scored only two goals in the Premier League in 2026 and one more in the Champions League, Haaland admitted to the media in the mixed zone that his form has not lived up to expectations: “Since the start of the year, I haven’t scored enough goals, that’s how I see it. I know I need to improve, be sharper, and do everything better. That’s something I have to work hard on.”

Since the beginning of the year, Man City has played 12 matches across all competitions with Haaland featuring in all, but he has only scored 3 goals. Notably, both Premier League goals during this period came from penalties; the last time Haaland scored from open play was on December 20, when he netted twice against West Ham.

Without going into the reasons for his dip in form, Haaland emphasized the physical demands amid a packed schedule: “There are a lot of matches. Looking at the calendar, it’s clear it’s not easy. For me, the most important thing is to maintain fitness, avoid injuries, and always be ready to help the team.” In fact, Man City has averaged just over three days of rest between games during a 38-day stretch of continuous fixtures.

With his goal against Liverpool, Haaland raised his total to 41 goals in 40 matches across all competitions for Man City and Norway. Despite this impressive figure, the striker stated he is not satisfied and is determined to elevate his performance for the remainder of 2026.

How is the European Golden Shoe race unfolding?

Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Shoe for the 2024/25 season in his first year at Real Madrid and still has a strong chance to defend the title. However, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, both former winners, are determined to prevent the French star from claiming back-to-back titles.

Currently, Harry Kane leads with 24 goals in 21 Bundesliga matches, equivalent to 48 points based on the league’s scoring coefficient. Mbappé is second with 23 goals in 23 La Liga games (46 points), while Haaland ranks third with 21 goals in 25 Premier League matches (42 points).

Following this trio is Brentford striker Igor Thiago with 17 Premier League goals, but he remains considerably behind. With more than half of the 2025/26 season still ahead, the European Golden Shoe race promises to stay thrilling until the final rounds.