Erling Haaland Has Improved As All-Rround Player Ahead Of World Cup, Lukaku Says

Romelu Lukaku believes Erling Haaland has lifted every part of the game in recent seasons and expects even more progress. The Belgium striker is keen to watch how Haaland handles a first World Cup with Norway, after another prolific Premier League campaign with Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.

Haaland has claimed a third Premier League Golden Boot in 2025-26, scoring 27 league goals despite City missing the title in Guardiola's farewell season. That tally keeps Haaland behind only Thierry Henry and Mohamed Salah, who have each finished as top scorer four times in the competition.

Lukaku, speaking to Stats Perform, expects Haaland to carry domestic form into Norway's debut under this generation on the global stage. Norway open World Cup Group I against Iraq on 16 June, then meet Senegal before a high-profile clash with France, giving Haaland several platforms against contrasting defensive styles.

"I think he is hungry for goals, but I think he's a very smart player if you look at his movement in the box, the Belgian said of Haaland. I look at the details, his positioning, his movements to go to the near post, to go to the second post. He's really very efficient with the balls that he gets into the box, andhe has improved a lot on his back-to-goal play. So, credit to him because a lot of people were talking about that. When you show that you can improve on those things... he's obviously a better player than he was a few years ago, when he was already great. He will only be better. And I think now the World Cup is the biggest stage for him to show his qualities. As a competitor, you want to see how he does, so he can inspire you to improve your own level."

Haaland has reached the tournament after a dominant set of qualifiers. The Norway forward hit 16 goals in eight European qualifying matches, scoring twice as many as any other player from the continent. Haaland averaged 2.04 goals per 90 minutes during that run, underlining efficiency rather than volume alone.

Norway and Belgium could meet in the knockout rounds if results align. Should both sides finish runners-up in their groups, they would land on the same half of the bracket. An alternative route could bring them together in the last 32, if one team wins a group and the other finishes third.

Belgium will face Tunisia, Egypt and Iran in their pool, while Norway deal with Iraq, Senegal and France. Those combinations leave several possible crossover paths later in the tournament, adding intrigue to any potential contest between Lukaku and Haaland at World Cup level.

Erling Haaland World Cup build-up and Premier League numbers

Haaland has also become more involved as a creator for City in 2025-26. Only Rayan Cherki, with 12, has more Premier League assists than Haaland's eight. Haaland records 0.24 assists per 90 minutes, the second-best rate of the City spell after 0.26 in the 2022-23 season.

That creative growth follows a lower figure of 0.1 assists per 90 minutes in 2024-25. Haaland has also raised passing involvement near goal, averaging 1.16 passes into the penalty area per 90 this season. Haaland has never previously exceeded 0.75 per 90 for that metric during time at City.

Those trends match Lukaku's view that Haaland has progressed with back-to-goal play and movement. With a first World Cup ahead, a strong qualifying record behind, and enhanced creative statistics for City, Haaland enters the tournament as a forward still developing, yet already among Europe's most productive scorers.