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Records are Erling Haaland's raison d'etre. After bursting onto the field with RB Salzburg two years ago, he's made everyone sit up and take notice of his fearsome goalscoring exploits.
At Borussia Dortmund, the young Norwegian gun has refined his talents to become one of the world's best strikers. In 70 games with the club, he's struck a staggering 71 goals, including 50 in the Bundesliga from as many appearances.
His landmark strike came against Wolfsburg last weekend, as Haaland marked his return to action from injury in style. However, the bigger talking point is how fast he reached the figure. Several great players in the past have scored over 50 goals in the Bundesliga, but who is the fastest to reach the coveted milestone?
As Haaland looks to add to his prolific tally against Bayern Munich tonight, we examine the five fastest players to reach 50 goals in the German top-flight:
#5 Robert Lewandowski - 91 games
Robert Lewandowski's goalscoring average has gone through the roof since joining Bayern Munich in 2014, but he was a different beast early into his Bundesliga career.
The Pole struck only eight times in 33 games during his first campaign, 10 years ago. Jurgen Klopp soon brought out the best in him, however, and Lewandowski hit the 50-goal mark within the next 58 games.
His landmark strike came in the 2-1 win over VfB Stuttgart in February 2013 as the striker netted an 82nd-minute winner. He was only 24 at the time. Lewandowski eventually left the following year with 103 goals for the club in 187 games across four seasons, including 74 in the Bundesliga from 131 appearances.
#4 Arjen Robben - 90 games
The fact that Arjen Robben, a winger, is ahead of Lewandowski, a striker, on the list tells you what a player he was back in the day.
Despite constant rotation and struggles with injuries, the Dutchman always managed to score plenty of goals. In fact, he left Bayern Munich in 2019 with 144 goals in 309 games, 99 of those coming in the Bundesliga.
It took him just 90 games to reach 50 goals in the German top-flight. His landmark strike came in November 2013— nearly eight months after Lewandowski's, interestingly.
#3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 86 games
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shot to fame for his heroics with Borussia Dortmund, scoring 141 times in just 213 games across four-and-a-half seasons after joining from Saint-Etienne in 2013.
His tally includes 98 goals in the Bundesliga, and it took the Gabonese striker only 86 games to surpass the 50-goal mark in the German top-flight.
Aubameyang brought up his half-century in February 2016, scoring the only goal in Dortmund's 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. He went on to finish the season with 25 goals.
#2 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - 85 games
In his storied career, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar played for many sides in Europe but enjoyed the most success at Ajax, followed by Schalke, where he plied his trade for seven years.
The Dutchman was a prolific scorer during the initial few years, even netting 29 times during the 2011/12 season, his second at the club.
It only took the former Dutch international 86 games to surpass 50 goals in the Bundesliga. However, a dip in form saw him net only 32 times in the next 89 before leaving the club.
#1 Erling Haaland - 50 games
No surprises here. From the moment he first stepped onto the pitch as a Dortmund player, Erling Haaland has maintained a blistering scoring form that has made him the world's most sought-after youngster.
The irrepressible Norwegian opened his Bundesliga account in style, netting a hat-trick on his league debut against Augsburg in January 2020 and didn't look back thereafter.
He ended his first season with 13 goals in 15 games, before adding another 27 in 28 in 2020/21. Now, in the current campaign, he's struck another 10 times from 13 games.
Haaland's 50th strike came at the weekend against Wolfsburg in only his 50th appearance in the Bundesliga— a record. He's also the youngest player to achieve the feat.
Sky's the limit for the lad.
