First season in the EPL went beyond Haaland's expectations.

It can only be Haaland:

• 36 EPL goals.

• 52 goals across all competitions.

• A 29-year-old EPL goalscoring record broken in first season.

• 2023 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.

Manchester City goal machine, Erling Haaland, is surprised by the success he has achieved at the Etihad in his debut season.

He said as much as he expected things to go well at City, he didn't expect them to be this good.

He was speaking after receiving his 2023 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award, which he won with a whopping 80% of the votes.

"I didn’t expect it to be this good!" Haaland told amp.mancity.com.

“I expected it to be good of course.

"To come into a team that’s been scoring many goals while winning the Premier League a lot of times – two in a row now three, I expected to do good things but to do this I didn’t quite expect.

"It’s been a fantastic season so far and I’m happy.

"I like it [in Manchester] I’m enjoying it on and off the pitch, I’m enjoying my life.

"The vibe is fantastic. I really enjoy myself. I have a lot of friends.

"We joke a lot, we enjoy it a lot in the locker room and on the pitch. I am really enjoying it and there’s so many good guys in the team."

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The 22-year-old had special praises for his boss, Pep Guardiola.

Haaland said Guardiola's achievement of  five league titles in six years is 'unreal'. And also touched on the amazing stuff he makes them do in training.

"When you win your fifth Premier League in six years it’s unreal.

"He makes things look so easy on the training ground and in the games.

"It’s crazy what he’s doing and what he makes us do and how good we can play. It’s a big honour to have him as my coach. It’s a pleasure.  

"We don’t like to focus on the future or on the past. I like to live in the moment and I like to take it game-by-game, exactly like what he said and that’s we did.

"We focused and we achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve and in the end it was unreal what we did.

"To be behind all season and in the end just come like a unit together was amazing and an amazing feeling."

Man City will play their last English Premier League game of the season on Sunday 28 May against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. The game will kick-off at 17:30.

Haaland credits a good environment for his City success.

Erling Haaland has had a dream debut season in the English Premier League, scoring 52 goals so far for Manchester City across all competitions.

The Norwegian goal machine, City's focal point in attack this season, has credited the enabling environment, and the hunger for success from everyone around him at the club for his amazing debut season. 

"The environment allows me to be myself every day," Haaland told amp.mancity.com

"There are hungry people around me that want to become better every single day and want to help me to become better every single day.

"That is where everything starts from.

"From Pep, to the physios, to everyone, we want to help each other.

"We want to have a good time together and we want to make every single person in the club better.

"That is the most important thing.

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Haaland admits that the EPL is the toughest league in the world, but he has had an amazing journey since his Man City debut in August.

With his teammates having lifted the EPL title for two seasons in a row before he joined the club, Haaland says it was his goal to win the title as well this season.

"It has been an amazing journey, ever since my first game in August," Haaland added. 

"It is the toughest league, the most difficult league, every single game is tough.

"But we managed to win it and that is what has really been on my mind the whole season.

"All of my teammates have won it in the last few years and I wanted to do the same."

It’s special, I am going to enjoy this day - Haaland.

Sometimes, one forgets that Erling Haaland is only 22-years-old. His influence in the world of football is so phenomenal it surpasses his age.

But that is what the best in the beautiful game do, they make an immediate impact, and that is what Haaland has done in his first season with Manchester City, by netting a record 36 goals.

After their win over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, Haaland said lifting the English Premier League title is a memory he will cherish forever.

"These are memories I will remember for the rest of my life. We’ve been fighting so hard," he told www.mancity.com.

"[I feel] unreal. I honestly don’t know what to say. You see me smiling and everything, I’m so happy!"

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While he said he will enjoy this day, and lifting the title in his debut season, the Norwegian goal machine is salivating at the prospect of featuring in the FA Cup final as well as the UEFA Champions League finale.

"It’s special. I am going to enjoy this day," he said.

"It’s a special moment with the trophy. Without the club this would not be possible. It is amazing.

"Debut season, 36 goals so far, Premier League trophy and two finals left, not a bad start!"