Manchester City striker Erling Braut Haaland has become the first player in Premier League history to win both the Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season awards in the same campaign.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a sensational record-breaking debut campaign with the Citizens in 2022-23 and has been integral to Pep Guardiola's side winning a fifth title in six seasons.
Haaland has scored 36 goals in just 35 appearances, breaking the previous record of 34 goals for a single Premier League season set by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole in 42-game campaigns.
The Norwegian's 44 goal involvements (36 goals and eight assists) is the joint-most in a single 38-game Premier League season, equalling a record set by former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry in the 2002-03 campaign.
City's No.9 became the first player in Premier League history to score three successive hat-tricks at home earlier this season as well as the first Citizens player to net a treble in a Manchester derby since 1970.
Haaland has scored 52 goals in total across all competitions so far this season, smashing the 94-year club record of 38 goals netted by Tommy Johnson back in the 1928-29 campaign.
Only former Everton forward Dixie Dean back in 1927-28 has scored more goals (63) in all tournaments in a top-flight English season than Haaland.
It had to be him!@ErlingHaaland is your @EASPORTSFIFA Player of the Season 🤩#PLAwards | @ManCity pic.twitter.com/MxI9cpE8QX
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 27, 2023
The Norwegian striker has become the third Man City player in a row, and the fourth overall, to win the Premier League POTS award after Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20 and 2021-22, Ruben Dias in 2020-21 and Vincent Kompany in 2011-12.
Haaland has also become the third successive Citizens star to win the Young Player award after Phil Foden scooped the accolade in the previous two campaigns.
"I am honoured to have become the first player to win both awards in the same season – thank you to everyone who voted for me," Haaland told mancity.com.
"It has been an incredible first season in the Premier League and lifting the trophy last weekend in front of our fans at the Etihad was a very special moment for me.
"These awards would not have been possible without my amazing team-mates, the manager and all of the staff at the club who help me perform on the pitch. Now we have two more finals to go and we want to finish the season strong."
© Reuters
Haaland fended off competition from teammate De Bruyne, Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier to claim the POTS accolade.
The Citizens goal machine also beat Arsenal trio Odegaard, Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Newcastle pair Alexander Isak and Sven Botman, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion duo Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister to win the Young Player award, which is given to players aged 23 or under at the start of the season.
Haaland picks up his latest individual accolades just a day after receiving the 2023 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award, earning a record 82% of the votes among around 800 members.
The striker will be looking to add to his goal tally in Sunday's trip to Brentford before attempting to cap a remarkable season by helping Man City chase down a historic treble, with finals in the FA Cup and Champions League to come next month.
Oliver Thomas
