Erling Haaland: Premier League’s runaway top scorer returns to face old club as true master

The trouble, when a club is as skilful at scouting talent, polishing it, and selling it on as Borussia Dortmund are, is that the old boys almost always come back to haunt you.

Some never seem to stop with their reminders that while Dortmund was their great launch pad, they can make it a punchbag too. When Robert Lewandowski scored the two goals that eliminated Dortmund from last season’s Uefa Champions League, he took to 29 – in 28 meetings – the total he had scored against his old club in the decade since he left Dortmund, aged 25, first for Bayern Munich and later moving on to Barcelona.

The previous European Cup campaign had taken Dortmund all the way to the final. They lost it to a Real Madrid galvanised by Jude Bellingham, who 10 months earlier joined Madrid, still only 19, from Dortmund for over €100 million.

Surveying elite football’s achievers and market-leaders has long been a bittersweet experience for Dortmund’s strategists, proud of a system that is as good as any at advancing individual careers and bringing in handsome transfer fees but reconciled to the fact those careers often soar higher elsewhere.

For Bellingham in 2024, read Ousmane Dembele in 2025. He was a Dortmund project, too, there for a single season before fetching a €100m-plus fee from Barcelona, who eventually let him go for barely half that to thrive at Paris Saint-Germain.

Dembele’s role in spearheading PSG’s first European Cup triumph last May helped him to the Ballon d’Or. Lewandowski was the leading goalscorer in last season’s Liga. Christian Pulisic, a Dortmund prodigy at 17, then a Champions League winner with Chelsea, scored more times than any AC Milan player in 2024-25.

And three months ago, Alexander Isak, whom Dortmund brought to Germany from Sweden aged 17 on a hunch that turned out to be wise – even if he underwhelmed in his few games for Dortmund’s first team – became, at 25, the most expensive player ever to be transferred between two clubs in the English Premier League, Newcastle United and Liverpool.

And that’s not to mention the footballer well on the way to being regarded as the finest, most valuable, most impactful graduate of the many 21st century stars to have worn Dortmund’s distinctive yellow.

Erling Haaland may have some catching up to do on Lewandowski’s mass of career goals but he is 12 years younger than the 37-year-old Pole. He may never fetch a transfer fee as high as Isak’s or Bellingham’s, but that would only be because Manchester City, who paid Dortmund €60m for Haaland in 2023, now have him on a contract until 2034.

This evening at the Etihad Stadium, Haaland lines up for the second time against his former club and even though more than three years have passed since the first reunion, it is still vivid in Dortmund minds.

It was an early autumn Champions League game and City came back from 1-0 behind, their match-winning goal a show reel highlight: Haaland launched himself high into the air, his body almost horizontal, a big blond karate kid connecting an outstretched left foot to a Joao Cancelo cross.

His nearest marker, Nico Schlotterbeck, wore the look of a man who believed there was no way anybody could reach Cancelo’s pass and instantly regretted the assumption.

Dortmund hope to have Schlotterbeck fit for this evening, and ready to partner Algeria’s Ramy Bensebaini in as tough an assignment as any in elite football: keeping Haaland at bay.

His current run of form is eye-catching even by the Norwegian’s standards. His brace against Bournemouth at the weekend took him to 17 City goals for the season so far, across the Champions League and domestic football, at a rate of a goal every 66 minutes.

He has already this season eased into the top 10 list of all-time Champions League marksmen, a roll of honour that has Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals), Lionel Messi (129) and Lewandowski (105) in the podium positions. Among the 10, Haaland alone averages over a goal a game. Keep that up and his 53 goals so far would become a century in less than 50 further appearances.

Might he one day overhaul Messi and Ronaldo? “No, not all,” replied Haaland on Tuesday. “That’s far off. Nobody can get close to them two.”

“I had 57 [goals for club and country] one season,” he did point out, “but I don’t think about records. I focus on the next game. It’s how I need to think.”

His overall City ratio is just shy of dipping beneath a goal every 90 minutes and the one concern, voiced by City head coach Pep Guardiola, is that, so dazzling is his current form in front of goal that it might create a sense of dependency. Haaland has scored over 65 per cent of City’s goals in their two principal competitions – he has been rested for the early rounds of the League Cup – this season.

“He’s our key man,” acknowledges Guardiola, adding that Haaland’s influence is also growing in the dressing room. He is part of the ‘leadership group’ with whom the coach exchanges ideas and seeks feedback, chosen for that role, said Guardiola, because “I have the feeling he always has an eye on what is best for the team.

“That is difficult to find in players of this sort of ability, a real world-class player to be incredibly humble. Normally strikers just think about goals. I know he will score goals and have that impact. But the more he is involved in many things, so much the better.”

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)

Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

Tamkeen’s offering

• Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
• Option 2: 50% across three years
• Option 3: 30% across five years 

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo

Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm

Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km

On sale: December

Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

The essentials

What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

When: Friday until March 9

Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City

Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.

Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.

Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
 

Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

RESULTS

5pm: Sweihan – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Shamakh, Fernando Jara (jockey), Jean-Claude Picout (trainer)

5.30pm: Al Shamkha – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Daad, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar

6pm: Shakbout City – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Ghayyar, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Gold Silver, Sandro Paiva, Ibrahim Aseel

7pm: Masdar City – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7.30pm: Khalifa City – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Ranchero, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar

The specs: 2018 Maxus T60

Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000

Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder

Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm

Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn

In 2013, The National’s History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi’s fabled fort:

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

What are the influencer academy modules?

1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
3. All aspects of post-production.
4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
6. Tourism industry knowledge.
7. Professional ethics.

Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis

THE%20SWIMMERS

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Why%20all%20the%20lefties%3F

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‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Rating: 4/5

 

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

 

Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris

 

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi

Total funding: Self funded

Uefa Nations League

League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands

League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey

League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania

League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders’ personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Kumulus Water

 

Started: 2021

 

Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid

 

Based: Tunisia 

 

Sector: Water technology 

 

Number of staff: 22 

 

Investment raised: $4 million 

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

 

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

 

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai

 

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

 

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia