Josh Taylor spoke about moving up to welterweight imminently after suffering the first defeat of his career to Teofimo Lopez in New York on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old Scot started the defence of his WBO and Ring Magazine super-lightweight titles at The Theater at Madison Square Garden looking like he had the measure of his Brooklyn opponent.
However Lopez, 25, soon grew in confidence and by the end of 12 gruelling rounds there was no doubt about the result.
Two judges called it 115-113 for the home fighter, with the other scoring it 117-111, confirming Lopez a two-weight world champion by unanimous decision.
Following a first loss in 20 fights, Taylor stressed his desire for a rematch but admitted that he would be “more comfortable” stepping up to the next weight division.
He told Sky Sports Boxing: “I would love to do it again and fight him again. Back home, why not?
“But the ball is in his court, he is the champion.
“I would love to do it again but most likely I will probably be moving up to welter now.
“As I have been saying for ages the move up to welter is imminent.
“I could do 140 again but I would be more comfortable at 147.”
It was Taylor’s first bout since his contentious win over Englishman Jack Catterall in February 2022 and it was another difficult night as he struggled to find solutions to the problems posed by Lopez, who was slick and powerful with his punches and evasive in defence.
The Scot refused to blame the long lay-off for his performance as he accepted defeat with humility.
He said: “The last two rounds, the championship rounds I didn’t do enough. The better man won on the night.
“I just wasn’t (at my) best, far from it. It is what it is.
“I am absolutely devastated but I will come again. He’s the champion. I would love to do it again. I know I can win.
“I know I can beat him but last night he was the better man so I have no excuses.”
Lopez said after the fight: “Josh Taylor is a tough dude. I can see why he beat so many fighters but you have to counter the counter-puncher, you have to outsmart the man and get in there and I did that. I think I did enough.”
Kevin De Bruyne revealed he was carrying an injury throughout the closing stages of Manchester City’s glorious treble triumph.
De Bruyne was not on the field as City capped a stunning season by winning the Champions League on Saturday, having finally succumbed to a long-standing hamstring problem.
The inspirational Belgian playmaker was forced off after 35 minutes of a hard-fought final against Inter Milan in Istanbul, which City went on to win 1-0 with a 68th-minute strike from Rodri.
De Bruyne said: “I give everything for my team and the people in the club know that. I feel proud that I’ve been able to do what I did.
“It’s a shame that it went the way it did for me here, but we go away winning the Champions League so there’s nothing bad towards it.
“I felt all right this week, but I’ve been told for two months it was a risk – but, you know, you take it.
“I did what I had to do. Obviously I missed some games, but the games like Arsenal, Bayern (Munich) and (Real) Madrid I managed to do it.
“I had some personal things happen with my family on top of that and I managed that, but, here, the hamstring just snapped.”
It was the second time De Bruyne had been forced off in a Champions League final after he suffered a bad facial injury in the loss to Chelsea two years ago.
Yet, after City came through, he did not want to dwell on his personal misfortune.
“I don’t look at football that way,” he said. “It is what it is.
“I felt the team was able to manage it and do their job. OK, the injury is never nice, but I was there for my team and did what I needed to do.
“I felt OK in the 35 minutes I played and I can’t expect more from myself.”
Victory fulfilled a long-held ambition for De Bruyne after enjoying considerable domestic success in his eight years at City.
He said: “I’ve basically been fighting all my career with my team to win this medal.
“I still don’t think it defines my career – I know who I am as a football player and person and I am happy and proud of the person I am – but obviously you want to win.”
Much has been made of what the victory could mean for City, both as a platform for the current team and for the status of the club as whole, but De Bruyne feels that is a matter for another day.
He said: “That’s not something I’m really thinking about right now. The season is so long we should just enjoy this moment.
“We’ve had subdued parties up until now, but now we can really enjoy it for a couple of days, as we should.
“We’ve not lost one game in the Champions League this season so I think we deserve it.”
Light Infantry is on course for the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot following his cracking run in defeat in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp.
Though beaten a short neck by the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat, his third runner-up effort in Group One company in France, the four-year-old son of Fast Company will bid to gain a measure of compensation on the first day of the Royal meeting.
Trainer David Simcock was delighted he showed his best after a disappointing seventh, when beaten three and three-quarter lengths by Modern Games in the Lockinge at Newbury.
Stepped up to nine furlongs for the first time in France, he was headed with over a furlong to race, but battled back to regain second place in the hands of Jamie Spencer.
Simcock said: “I’m delighted with him, especially backing up so quick after Newbury.
“Things really didn’t pan out for him in the Lockinge, but it was a good run (in the d’Ispahan) and it was a very competitive field.
“I would imagine he will go to the Queen Anne – I’m pretty sure of that. He’s very well and in good form.”
Pep Guardiola hailed his players for writing themselves into history after Manchester City finally claimed Champions League glory.
City secured the prize they have craved for so long when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in a hard-fought final in Istanbul on Saturday night.
Rodri scored the only goal of a tough contest in the 68th minute at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, landing City’s first European crown after several years of near misses and completing the treble.
Guardiola hopes all of City’s successes, including their five Premier League titles in the past six years, will now be given due credit without the shadow of Champions League under-achievement hanging over them.
The City manager said: “Especially this season, the entire world has said if we don’t win the Champions League we will not be complete, it will not be enough.
“Winning these five Premier Leagues and arriving in three semi-finals, and two finals, is exceptional, but everyone says, ‘no, you have to win’.
“But winning the Champions League every season is difficult unless you are Real Madrid. The other ones sometimes arrive and do it.
“Not just for me, for the club, for our CEO and players – we had everything but not the Champions League, as if the Premier League is nothing.
“So I like this competition for the fact we won it, to be part of history. The players know they will be remembered for the rest of their lives.
“But now give credit for the five Premier Leagues we won in six years.
“It is important because people now forget about it and focus on creating a museum to put all our trophies in, because what we have done in the last years is unbelievable, not just the Champions League, but many titles.”
City had to dig deep to claim the trophy against a determined Inter side.
The Italians sat deep to soak up pressure but, with City also lacking their usual sparkle and losing Kevin De Bruyne to injury in the first half, they grew in confidence.
Inter were just beginning to assert themselves when Rodri broke the deadlock, driving from the edge of the area after a Bernardo Silva pass was deflected into his path.
They then lived on the edge with Federico Dimarco hitting the bar and having another good chance before Romelu Lukaku was denied by Ederson in the dying moments.
City will now celebrate their treble with an open-top bus parade in Manchester on Monday.
Guardiola has said he hopes City’s Champions League win will prove the first of many but his tongue was firmly in cheek as he responded to a question over whether the club could build a dynasty like Real Madrid.
“We are just 13 Champions Leagues away from them – just 13!” he said. “So be careful Real Madrid because we are on our way. If you sleep a little bit we will catch you.”
Amanda Nunes has retired after defending her world bantamweight belt against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in Vancouver.
The Brazilian, who also held the featherweight title, won on a unanimous points decision at Rogers Arena and after placing her belts on the canvas, announced she was calling time on her career.
She said in her octagon interview: “Double champion forever, today is a perfect night to retire.
“My mum has been watching me do this for so long, she cannot take it anymore. So I decided, I am still young to enjoy everything I make.
“I never worked out in my mind that I would become a champion and when I did it was unbelievable.”
Nunes, 35, dominated the octagon over a lengthy career, and is the first woman to become a champion in two divisions. She is the only fighter to defend two titles while holding them both.
Saturday’s bout was supposed to be against Julianna Pena but the former champion withdrew due to injury.
Nunes’ victory over Aldana means she walks away with a 23-5 record and is widely regarded as the greatest ever women’s mixed martial artist.
The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise’s brief history.
The Golden Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead then held on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Saturday, claiming a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
On Tuesday, the series will shift back to Las Vegas where the Golden Knights will have the opportunity to hoist the Stanley Cup on home ice.
Chandler Stephenson scored two goals for Vegas, including one just 1:39 into the first period, and the Panthers played from behind the rest of the way.
William Karlsson scored his first goal of the Cup Final midway through the second period to put the Golden Knights up 3-0.
Florida’s Brandon Montour got the home team back in the game with a goal before second intermission, and Aleksander Barkov’s tally 3:50 into the third period closed the deficit to one.
Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced and stopped a Carter Verhaeghe slapshot in the game’s final seconds to seal the Game 4 victory.
“Obviously, that was a battle till the last second,” Vegas forward Nicolas Roy told reporters after the game. “They pushed back there. We knew they would. They’ve been doing it all series. But it’s nice to get that one, for sure.”
The Panthers are now tasked with rallying to win three straight games against a favored opponent, a task they accomplished in the first round against the record-setting Boston Bruins.
“We've earned the right to play our best hockey,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Where we’ve been at our strongest is at the most critical time. I think you’ll see that.”
Josh Taylor suffered his first defeat and lost his WBO and Ring Magazine super-lightweight titles to Teofimo Lopez on points in New York.
It was the 32-year-old Scotsman’s first bout since his contentious win over Englishman Jack Catterall in February, 2022 and it was another struggle at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
The Scot started well enough but Lopez grew in confidence and finished the fight strongly, landing some thumping shots, particularly in the second-half of the bout, which impressed the judges who declared a unanimous win for the 25-year-old Brooklyn boxer.
Steve Gray called it 115-113 as did Joe Pasquale with Benoit Roussel scoring it 117-111 for the new champion.
Afterwards Taylor, whose first loss came in his 20th fight, was magnanimous in defeat, telling Sky Sports: “No excuses. He was better on the night. It is what it is so congratulations to Teofimo.
“I would love to do it again. I know I am better than that and I know I can beat him.
“So yes, I would love to do it again but he’s the champ and the ball is in his court.”
Lopez said: “I just want to thank God first. It has been a long time coming.
“We just beat the number one champion, Josh Taylor, former undisputed champion.”
Taylor, who unified the division before vacating several titles, had started impressively.
Using his size and reach advantage, the Prestonpans southpaw delivered some accurate jabs and powerful body shots in the early rounds.
Lopez slipped to the canvas in the third and pushed Taylor to the ground in the fourth where he staggered the Scot in the final seconds of the round with a powerful shot.
Taylor came back in the next round with a clean left and right before Lopez landed a low blow in the sixth where he again finished the aggressor.
Lopez looked confident coming out for the seventh but had to absorb a couple of clean shots from the Scot before he rocked him with a right hand at the end of the round.
The home fighter indulged in some showboating in the eighth round as his confidence increased further.
Lopez’s hand speed was causing all sorts of problems for Taylor who was rocked again in the ninth round which the challenger dominated.
Taylor was clipped twice in the 11th round which ended with Lopez lifting his arms in a victory pose which the Scot replicated but less convincingly.
In the final round Taylor was again left unsteady on his feet after taking some shots with Lopez clearly believing he had won when the bell rang – the judges confirming that belief moments later.
Reigning champion jockey Dane Dawkins inched closer to rivals in the race to retain his title, as he rode a dazzling three-timer, including Perfect Brew, who dismantled the field to cop the Alsafra Trophy over a mile (1,600m) at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
Perfect Brew, conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Richard Azan, justified favouritism, romping the three-year-old and upward Overnight Allowance race by six lengths in a time of 1:38.0. The splits were 23.4, 45.4 and 1:11.1.
The four-year-old bay gelding, who finished nine lengths behind the reigning Horse of the Year Atomica over seven furlongs (1,400m) on May 23, showed that he was better off from that run, as Dawkins rode a patient race, while Ameth Robles played catch me if you can aboard former Horse of the Year Further and Beyond.
Returning from an almost one-year break, Further and Beyond, now trained by Donovan Hutchinson, rushed to an early three length lead, which rapidly increased on the backstretch, as the rest of the field settled well off the blistering pace.
By the time Robles and Further and Beyond left the five-furlong mark and flashed past the half-mile, they were well over six lengths in front with Stomp The Rhythm (Anthony Thomas) and Marquesas (Tevin Foster), the closest pursuers at the point.
However, Dawkins made his move aboard Perfect Brew at the three-furlong point and after hitting top stride in the home stretch, they swept by a now-tiring Further and Beyond, whose lack of race fitness was well advertised, and a fighting Stomp The Rhythm, in the latter stages to win. Marquesas completed the frame.
While it was the first win of the season for Perfect Brew, it was Dawkins's 35th of the season, as he moved within 10 of leader Reyan Lewis and two shy of second-place Tevin Foster.
Dawkins earlier won aboard Jaguar in the fifth race giving newly licensed trainer Ricardo Mathie a first win from his first start. He later piloted Big Guy In The Sky to victory in the ninth race for trainer Gary Subratie.
Meanwhile, Barrington Bernard and Courtney Williams, who are also freshly licensed trainers, also won their first races. Bernard won the first race with Anngelos (Roger Hewitt), while Williams won the seventh race with Zion (Phillip Parchment).
Rory McIlroy’s bid for a third successive Canadian Open title stepped up a gear as he moved into a tie for second heading into the final round in Toronto.
McIlroy’s third round 66 leaves him two behind leader CT Pan and in a group of six players tied on 12-under-par, which includes English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose.
They are joined by Americans Mark Hubbard, Harry Higgs and Andrew Novak while England’s Aaron Rai is a stroke further back after a 69 left him alongside Canada’s Nick Taylor, who broke the Oakdale Golf & Country Club course record with a 63.
Tyrell Hatton, who was tied second with Rai and Pan at halfway after a second round 64, slipped six strokes off the pace with a 72.
Victory on Sunday would make McIlroy the first player to win three consecutive Canadian Opens – over the space of five years due to Covid cancellations – and the first on the PGA Tour since Steve Stricker in 2009-11.
McIlroy fired six birdies in a blemish-free round and admitted conditions were set up for low scoring after the previous day’s rain.
“It was prime for scoring,” said McIlroy, who will chase a second US Open title in Los Angeles next week. “It’s really that back nine you need to take advantage of. But it was nice to sort of have what I felt was a cushion after playing the front nine so well.
“I’ve never won a tournament three times in a row. I felt like last year the win wasn’t just for me, it was for a few other things. But this one, this year, if I were able to get over the line, will be solely for me.”
Last year’s win came in the midst of LIV Golf’s birth while McIlroy headed into this week’s tournament having said he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” in the wake of the merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the rival Saudi-backed circuit.
“For whatever reason, I seem to play better when there’s a little bit of noise going on in the world of golf,” he said.
“It’s really nice to get inside the ropes and just concentrate on my job at the end of the day, which is trying to get the ball around the golf course.”
Rose, who won his US Open title 10 years ago, shot into contention as he birdied five straight holes from the 12th and added another on the last.
Fleetwood, who is still looking for his first win in the US, would have matched the course record if it were not for Taylor’s earlier effort.
Pan, from Taiwan, birded the final two holes in a round of 66 as he chases a second tour title.
British boxer Sunny Edwards successfully defended his IBF world flyweight title for a fourth time with a unanimous decision over Chilean Andres Campos at Wembley.
The fight was judged 117-111 in the Croydon-born 27-year-old’s favour by all three judges in his first performance after signing with promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
Edwards came out bursting with confidence and controlled the opening stages of the 12-round fight, frustrating his previously-undefeated opponent by the midway point.
But Campos, seventh in the IBF rankings, began to close the gap down the stretch, forcing Edwards onto the ropes in round eight before the Briton replied with a flurry of shots.
Campos found another gear in the 12th and final round but it was too late as Edwards closed the contest with a body blow.
Edwards, who called for a unification fight with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, told DAZN: “I’m 27 years old. I don’t even think I’m at the peak yet.
“I think I’m still going and going, but Bam makes perfect sense. I want to be a great, I want to be perceived as a great, I want to go down as a great in British boxing history.”
Earlier in the evening, fellow Brit Ellie Scotney defeated Kiwi Cherneka Johnson to become the new IBF world super bantamweight champion with a unanimous 98-92, 98-92, 97-93 decision.
And in an all-British bout, Nina Hughes defeated Katie Healy by unanimous decision over 10 rounds to retain her WBA bantamweight world title.
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City have earned a place among the greats after finally winning the Champions League.
City completed the treble on a glorious night in Istanbul on Saturday as they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in a hard-fought final with a 68th-minute Rodri strike.
City have dominated the domestic scene under Guardiola, winning five Premier League titles in six years as well as two FA Cups and four Carabao Cups, but European success had eluded them.
“You have to win in Europe to be considered a great team and we did it,” said Guardiola in his post-match press conference at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
The challenge now for City will be to build on their triumph and establish a dynasty in European football.
Guardiola said: “I don’t want to disappear after one Champions League. We have to work hard next season and be there.
“There are teams who win the Champions League and disappear. We have to avoid that.
“Knowing me it is not going to happen but it is a big relief to have this trophy.”
Guardiola paid tribute to Inter for their dogged performance and to the City hierarchy for keeping faith in him after years of near misses in the competition.
“For Inter, I must congratulate them for their performance,” he said. “I know what they feel because we felt it two years ago.
“There are no words that can handle the pain but they are the second best team in Europe and that is incredible.
“The second word is for my sporting director, CEO and chairman. Normally when you don’t win the Champions League after so many years you are sacked. How many clubs destroy the project?
“It looks like this competition this year was in the stars.
“Now is time to celebrate. I am looking forward to Monday in Manchester on our (open-top bus) with three trophies.”
City have become only the second English team, after Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 1999, to have won the treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the same season.
Guardiola said: “It is an honour from me to be alongside Sir Alex Ferguson. I got a message from him this morning and it is an honour.”
Match-winner Rodri was thrilled by the achievement.
The midfielder told BT Sport: “I’m emotional. This is a dream come true.
“It wasn’t easy. What a team we faced – unbelievable they way they defended, the way they counter-attacked. They deserve credit because they are a great team but I don’t want to forget about my lads. We did everything.
“Some of these guys are 20, 21, 22, some of them their first final, but we compete like animals.”
Defender-cum-midfielder John Stones was proud to have played his part.
Stones said: “It was the thing that we were missing and I feel so pleased. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this team, to create this history. It’s so special.”
Right-back Kyle Walker, who came off the bench, said: “I’m over the moon. I’m very rarely speechless, but my dream has just come true.”
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi felt his team could hold their heads high.
Inzaghi said: “We do have regrets because defeat is the worst thing in sport but at the same time, I have to congratulate my lads.
“They are very sad, disappointed, but they must be proud of their campaign and the final they played. We didn’t deserve to lose but we played against a top team.
“Manchester City deserve the Champions League considering what they have done in the past years.
“Tonight they played against a great Inter who cornered them, but I congratulate Guardiola. They have gone close to winning it many times but I would have liked them to wait a little bit longer.”
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Pep Guardiola did not need to lead his side to an historic treble to put himself in contention for “the greatest” football manager of all time.
Rodri’s 68th-minute strike in Saturday’s 1-0 Champions League final victory over Inter Milan was enough to secure the Spanish manager a 12th major trophy with City and anoint him as the first manager to secure two European trebles, having also accomplished the feat with Barcelona in 2009.
Champions League winner Ferdinand heaped praise on the City boss using an unlikely artistic analogy to describe what he feels is Guardiola’s unmatched vision.
He told BT Sport: “Does he need this game to be recognised as one of the greatest, if not the greatest? We’re all I think in agreeance, he doesn’t even need it because of the way he sees the games. He has his teams painting pictures like we’ve never seen in my lifetime.
“(Like Picasso), Michaelangelo, however you want to do it.”
Ferdinand was equally certain Guardiola’s men, who needed several spectacular stops from Ederson to secure the European title, would never be forgotten, adding they were now: “Immortal. Statues galore.
“Listen, this team have played a brand of football that around the world is looked at, is admired. This has been a project and a process for a long time, for many years now, Pep Guardiola coming in. But these players have produced some football that is out of this world. Individually but as a collective this team will go down in history obviously.
“They deserve to. A fantastic team and they’ve dug deep when they needed to, and they’ve been able to play both sides of the game. I think that’s been the difference between this Manchester City team to past ones. They can pass, they can play the fairytale football but also when need be they can dig in, roll their sleeves up and fight through games as well. Balance is everything in this team.”
Ferdinand’s fellow pundit Joleon Lescott was part of the Manchester City side under Roberto Mancini that secured a club-first Champions League berth in 2011.
He observed a change in Guardiola over the course of a Premier League season that saw City looking up at Arsenal in the table before securing a third consecutive title and the FA Cup at the campaign’s close.
He told BT Sport: ” I think he’s been the most open and honest this season. I think it was the Spurs game when he came out and said he doesn’t recognise the team. No one’s seeing this outcome in the first half of the season. No one’s seeing a treble.
“Then he outed Kevin De Bruyne and wanted more, he did the same thing with Kyle Walker. So the relationship you have with a group of players, you can only do that if you are so close and you are genuine about your connection with a group of players.”
Cesc Fabregas, who played under Guardiola at Barcelona, recalled the days the City boss was untested in England, even drawing doubters who wondered if he could recreate his success in the English game.
Since joining City in 2016 Guardiola has led the side to five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and a Champions League.
Fabregas told the broadcaster: “He’s a very tough manager to play for because he demands the absolute best, but the day-to-day you have fun because he has a philosophy that every player dreams of.
“We first thought, not me because I knew the way he worked first-hand, but that when he came to England he would find it difficult. Can he bring this type of play to the country?
“And everyone doubted him. But he’s a very special man, a very special person, a very special manager and I am delighted for him.”
Pep Guardiola admitted “this f****** trophy is so difficult to win” after watching Manchester City finally end their wait for Champions League glory.
Rodri’s goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul to complete the treble derby rivals Manchester United achieved in 1999.
Asked how he was feeling after the presentation, Guardiola told BT Sport: “Tired, calm, satisfied of course. This f****** trophy is so difficult to win. It could not be different, we knew it.”
City were not at their fluent best as Inter frustrated them for long periods but they got there in the end, much to the Spaniard’s delight.
He added: “Winning this competition, the treble, is so difficult, so that’s why it’s not important the way, it’s enough to get it.”
City dominated the first half but could not find a way through Inter, and they were dealt a blow when star man Kevin De Bruyne limped off before the break.
However, Rodri’s sweet 68th-minute strike proved decisive and sparked wild celebrations on and off the pitch, though not before Federico Dimarco hit the bar and Ederson saved well from Romelu Lukaku and Robin Gosens.
Guardiola said: “At the end, Ederson, they could draw, maybe Phil [Foden] could have scored a second one. In this competition, it is [the toss of] a coin and that we were there, I think it was written in the stars. This season, it belongs to us and we did it.”
Asked what had changed about his side to finally get them over the line in Europe’s biggest club competition, the City boss said: “I think we defend a little bit better in the box with our four central defenders, who are proper defenders. We made mistakes, but I had the feeing we were solid.
“We didn’t make a bad, bad game, a little bit anxious at the start, but in general it was not bad and with the momentum we started winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and now finishing here.”
City’s momentum grew during the season after a testing start as Arsenal took the Premier League by the scruff of the neck, although they returned after the World Cup finals in determined fashion and timed their run to perfection.
Asked if it had been a frustrating start to the campaign, Guardiola said: “It was not frustrating. It was maybe not our best level, but Arsenal were beyond exceptional.
“But after the World Cup, the team made a step forward and we were there.”
Guardiola admitted he could not even begin to think about next season and the task of defending the club’s titles, but questioned the wisdom of his players heading off on international duty after their celebrations.
He said: “Right now, I don’t have any energy to think about next season, it’s impossible. We need to have a break, the season is too long.
“Most of these guys go to the national team to play again – honestly, UEFA, FIFA, think about it. We finished the Premier League what, two or three weeks ago? They’re on holiday and they come back for two weeks?
“These guys will have two or three weeks off and after, start again next season. It’s too much.
“Anyway, next season will be next season and of course we are going to start from zero. This is our job.”
Erling Haaland finished his debut Manchester City season with 52 goals to his name.
The Norway international finished on a run of just one goal in eight games but had already more than justified his bargain £51million price tag.
Here, the PA news agency looks at his stunning campaign in detail.
Premier League
Haaland’s 36 goals were a Premier League record, even including the early 42-game seasons.
Andy Cole and Alan Shearer shared the previous high of 34, with Mohamed Salah’s 32 topping the charts for a 38-game campaign, before Haaland rewrote the records.
He scored in seven straight league games from August to October – his third to his ninth appearances in the competition – with hat-tricks against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United helping him to 13 goals in those games and 18 in a 10-match scoring run in all competitions.
A fourth treble against Wolves in January left him one behind Shearer’s record of five in a season while he also had five doubles – against West Ham, Brighton, Leeds, Southampton and Leicester – and scored in 23 of his 35 appearances.
He scored against 16 different opponents, the exceptions being Chelsea – the only team to stop him in a pair of league appearances – Liverpool and Brentford.
Champions League
Haaland arrived in Manchester with 23 Champions League goals to his name in 19 appearances for RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, and has maintained that form.
He netted group-stage doubles against Sevilla and FC Copenhagen, either side of a goal against Dortmund, and Pep Guardiola could afford to largely rest his star man for the return fixtures save for a scoreless first-half run-out on his old stomping ground in Germany.
He was quiet in a drawn first leg against RB Leipzig but more than made up for it in the return fixture, equalling the competition record of five goals in a game as City won 7-0 and 8-1 on aggregate.
Goals in both legs against Bayern Munich took him to a dozen for the European season, though Real Madrid and Inter Milan kept him quiet even as City won their semi-final and final.
Domestic cups
Haaland’s first FA Cup goals came with a hat-trick in the 6-0 quarter-final win over Burnley, having sat out the clash with Chelsea and not scored against Arsenal.
He was not required to produce any heroics in the semi-final or final, won respectively by a Riyad Mahrez hat-trick and an Ilkay Gundogan brace.
Haaland was shut out by Liverpool in the Community Shield but did score against them in the Carabao Cup, giving him four goals in seven cup appearances.
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