Erling Haaland became only the 14th player to earn a perfect 10/10 rating from French newspaper L’Equipe following his masterclass in Manchester City’s 6-3 win over Manchester United.
The 22-year-old scored a hat-trick in the rout at the Etihad Stadium and provided two assists for Phil Foden.
Haaland has now scored a remarkable 14 goals in his first eight Premier League appearances, including three hat-tricks in consecutive home matches.
If the Norwegian continues scoring at his current rate, he’ll end his debut Premier League campaign with a mind-blowing 66 goals. He would also break the current record for most Premier League goals in a season (34) in just 12 games’ time.
Read more: Erling Haaland: Which PL players scored three hat-tricks the fastest?
L’Equipe are notoriously hard to please with their infamous ratings system.
Since 1988, only 13 players had ever received a flawless 10/10 rating. Haaland, however, has now added his name to the illustrious list.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates their sides fifth goal and their hat trick with team mate Jack Grealish during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Despite all he’s achieved in the game, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has never received a 10 from L’Equipe.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, is the only footballer to ever receive two 10s from the French publication.
BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 06: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates scoring his fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match between Barcelona and Arsenal at Camp Nou on April 6, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
Which players have received a 10 from L'Equipe?
But who else has received a 10 rating from L’Equipe?
Here’s list in full:
1. Franck Sauzee | France U21s vs Greece U21s, 1988
This is the first and only game in history where L’Equipe dished out two 10/10 ratings.
Franck Sauzee scored two goals for France, who defeated Greece 3-0 in the 1988 Under-21 European Championships final.
2. Bruno Martini | France U21s vs Greece U21s, 1988
Bruno Martini, France’s goalkeeper in the final, also received a flawless rating after helping Les Bleus keep a clean sheet.
3. Oleg Salenko | Russia vs Cameroon, 1994
Oleg Salenko, joint winner of the 1994 World Cup’s Golden Boot award, scored four goals for Russia in a memorable Man of the Match display against Cameroon.
28 JUN 1994: OLEG SALENKO #9 OF RUSSIA DRIBBLES THE BALL DURING RUSSIA's 6-1 VICTORY OVER CAMEROON IN A 1994 WORLD CUP GAME AT STANFORD STADIUM IN PALO ALTO, CA. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT
4. Lars Windfeld | Aarhus vs Nantes, 1997
Danish goalkeeper Lars Windfeld was awarded a 10/10 rating thanks to his performance for Aarhus against Nantes in the UEFA Cup in 1997.
It would be another 13 years - 13! - before L’Equipe handed out another 10.
5. Lionel Messi | Barcelona vs Arsenal, 2010
And surprise, surprise, the first player of the 2000s to earn a 10 from L’Equipe was Messi in 2010.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner put Arsenal to the sword with a stunning four-goal performance for Barcelona in the Champions League.
6. Lionel Messi | Barcelona vs Bayer Leverkusen, 2012
Two years later, Messi received another 10/10 rating after scoring five goals in another stunning Champions League display against Bayer Leverkusen at Camp Nou.
7. Robert Lewandowski | Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid, 2013
Robert Lewandowski scored four goals for Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid in the 2012-13 Champions League semi-finals and cemented his status as one of the world’s best strikers in the process.
8. Carlos Eduardo | Nice vs Guingamp, 2014
Nice’s Carlos Eduardo netted a first-half hat-trick and then scored two more goals after the interval to earn himself top marks from L’Equipe in 2014.
9. Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain vs Dijon, 2018
Neymar produced one of his best performances in a PSG shirt against Dijon in 2018, scoring four goals and providing a couple of assists in the rout.
10. Dusan Tadic | Real Madrid vs Ajax, 2019
Ajax produced a magnificent team performance away at Real Madrid during the 2018-19 Champions League, defeating the Spanish giants 4-1 in the Round of 16 second leg at the Bernabeu.
Dusan Tadic was virtually unplayable that night.
11. Lucas Moura | Ajax vs Tottenham, 2019
One of the most extraordinary Champions League semi-finals of all time, Lucas Moura famously netted a sensational hat-trick as Tottenham reached the 2019 final at Ajax’s expense.
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12. Serge Gnabry | Tottenham vs Bayern Munich, 2019
Former Arsenal player Serge Gnabry showed Tottenham no mercy in 2019, inspiring Bayern Munich to an emphatic 7-2 victory in north London.
13. Kylian Mbappe | France vs Kazakhstan, 2021
Kylian Mbappe added his name to L’Equipe’s 10/10 list in 2021 after scoring four goals, and setting up another, for France against Kazakhstan.
14. Alban Lafont | Nantes vs PSG, 2022
Alban Lafont produced a magnificent goalkeeping performances for Nantes against PSG earlier this year.
The French shot-stopper saved a penalty from Neymar and frustrated Messi and Mbappe with a string of fine saves.
15. Erling Haaland | Manchester City vs Manchester United, 2022
Haaland becomes the first player to earn a flawless 10/10 rating from L’Equipe while playing against Man United.
It wouldn’t be a shock if the Norway international becomes the second footballer after Messi to receive two 10s. It could even happen this season. Nothing seems impossible with this guy.
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