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Ahead of the World Cup, Zlatan Ibrahimović stated that Erling Haaland still had some work to do to “reach the freak of nature.” But after the Norwegian star scored twice in Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq, Ibrahimović is singing a different tune about Haaland.
Ibrahimović said Haaland “comes close to Zlatan” after Tuesday’s performance.
“It’s a great start. It’s what we wanted and we got it. It was all about Haaland,” Ibrahimović said on FOX’s “World Cup Live.”
“He maybe didn’t get the assist for the last goal but he was there and created a chance. The stars came out and made him a lion today. That’s what he gave me back. So I might move him up on my ‘King of the Jungle’ list. He’s close to Zlatan. So we’re happy with his performance today.”
Haaland, 25, has proven to be the world’s best goalscorer over the past few years, scoring at elite level with Norway and Manchester City. But he had never played in a World Cup match before Tuesday. And before the match, Ibrahimović only had Haaland ranked fifth on his “King of the Jungle” list. So Haaland still had something to prove.
Well, Haaland definitely showed that he is now ready for the World Cup stage. He is one of six players to have scored two goals in the World Cup, joining France’s Kylian Mbappé and others.
As Haaland organized another masterclass on Tuesday, here are some numbers to know about the Norwegian star.
33: Haaland has now scored in 33 of his 51 games with Norway.
14: Norway have now won 14 games in a row when Haaland scores (all comps).
16: Norway is also undefeated all-time when he has a multi-goal streak of 16-0-0 (WDL).
11: Tuesday was the 11th competitive international match (non-friendly match) in a row with a goal for Haaland. He has 22 goals in that span (including his two on Tuesday).
17: Haaland has scored at least one goal in 17 of his 20 official matches with Norway since the start of 2023 (30 goals).
16: Haaland’s 16 goals during World Cup qualifiers led all players.
18: Haaland has scored 18 goals between the World Cup qualifiers and Tuesday’s game, an average of two goals per game over nine games.
9.17: Haaland recorded a player rating of 9.17 in Tuesday’s match according to FotMob. It is the highest rating a player has had in any match so far in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. France’s Kylian Mbappé held the previous high, earning a 9.02 player rating (per FotMob) when he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Senegal.
162: In terms of club play, Haaland has scored in 162 of his 198 appearances for Manchester City.
3: Haaland has won the Premier League’s Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer in three of his first four seasons with Manchester City.
36: The 36 goals Haaland scored for Manchester City in the 2022-2023 season are the most ever scored by a player in a single Premier League season.
How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The WC takes place from June 11-19. July 2026. Split across three countries, the tournament culminates with the final on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament games will be broadcast live across FOX and FS1 with every game streaming live and on-demand on both the FOX One and FOX Sports apps.
