Erling Haaland reaches 300 career goals at 24: How many does he need to tie Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?

Manchester City defeated Juventus 5–2 on Thursday in Matchday 3 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, securing a place in the next round of the tournament as leaders of Group G. Erling Haaland scored one of the goals, bringing his career tally to an impressive milestone that positions him as a serious challenger to the records of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Haaland scored his 300th professional goal against Juventus—an incredible figure, especially considering his age. The Norwegian striker will turn just 25 on July 21, meaning he still has many seasons ahead at the highest level of global soccer.

To put the achievement in context, it’s worth reviewing the top ten active goal scorers in the world. Tenth place currently belongs to Hulk, the Brazilian winger playing for Atletico Mineiro, who has scored 441 career goals. Erling is 141 goals shy of that mark—a significant number, no doubt—but the key detail is that Hulk reached that total at age 38, giving the Manchester City star plenty of time to catch up.

That ranking also includes Neymar (444), Edin Dzeko (448), Harry Kane (452), Edinson Cavani (452), Karim Benzema (498), Luis Suarez (589), and Robert Lewandowski (695). The top two spots, of course, belong to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. All of them are over 30 years old.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer

How many goals does Haaland need to catch Ronaldo and Messi?

Cristiano Ronaldo not only leads all active players in goals but also tops the all-time charts. Since beginning his professional career in 2002, he has scored 938 goals in 1,281 matches for both clubs and the Portugal national team. That means Haaland would need 638 more goals to match CR7.

see also

Lionel Messi turns 38: How his goal tally compares to Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age

Catching up to Lionel Messi is a slightly more attainable goal, though still extremely difficult. The Argentine forward ranks second all-time with 877 goals in 1,140 matches, giving him a 577-goal lead over Haaland.

Haaland surpasses Ronaldo and Messi in key areas

Despite the huge gap in total goals between Haaland and both Messi and Ronaldo, the Norwegian striker already edges them in a couple of key statistical categories.

For one, the Manchester City star has been more efficient in front of goal. Leo averages 0.76 goals per match, while CR7 comes in at 0.73. Erling, on the other hand, has scored 300 goals in 369 matches, resulting in a remarkable 0.81 goals-per-game average.

Additionally, Haaland hit the 300-goal mark earlier in his career than both Messi and Cristiano. The Argentine star was 25 years and 4 months old when he reached the milestone with Barcelona in 2012. The Portuguese forward was 27 years and 3 months when he did the same with Real Madrid that same year. Erling, by contrast, achieved it at just 24 years and 11 months.