The 2021-22 Champions League is Sébastien Haller’s garden. The ‘9’ of Ajax is sweeping in his debut in the maximum continental tournament. At 27, the former West Ham player has established himself among the great strikers in Europe. No one comes close to the 11 goals in seven games in this Champions League made by the Ivorian, top scorer of the tournament ahead of Lewandowski (nine goals) and Salah (eight) who added Benfica to his list of victims in the first leg of the round of 16 (2-2). What are the numbers that mark your season?
11 Champions League goals
Haller’s goal (1-2) at Benfica 2-2 Ajax
Haller has debuted in the highest continental competition making history. His 11 goals in his first seven games in the Champions League not only help him to be top scorer. They are the best mark ever of any footballer in his start in the tournament. Haaland, who is devouring his records, took nine to reach the 11 goals he has. In Da Luz he equaled Ruud Geels (1975-76) as the ‘ajacied’ with the most goals in a season in Europe.
7 games in a row scoring
Gol de Haller (1-2) and el Besiktas 1-2 Ajax
The coming-out of the Ivorian striker in the Champions League is portentous. He has scored in the seven games he has played. One after another. The combination is as follows: Sporting CP (four goals), Besiktas (one), Dortmund (one), Dortmund (one), Besiktas (two), Sporting CP (one) and Benfica (one). Only Cristiano, with Real Madrid in 2017-18, had celebrated at least one goal in each group stage match. Ronaldo, who ‘dunked’ 11 consecutive times in the Champions League between 2017 and 2018, has a mark that Haller is already stalking. He is four off his record.
A goal every 49 minutes
Gol de Haller (1-1) and el Besiktas 1-2 Ajax
Little more than one part needs Haller to score in the Champions League. The Ajax striker scores every 49 minutes in the Champions League. An unbeatable scoring frequency in the tournament. No footballer can keep up with his pace in Europe. And with the ‘ajacied’, among all the competitions, he celebrates a goal every 83′. A constant danger.
16 goals in the Eredivisie
Gold de Haller (4-0) and Ajax 4-0 Borussia Dortmund
The Ivorian number ‘9’ is not only the top scorer in the Champions League. Haller is the top scorer in the Eredivisie with 16 goals ahead of Til, who has 13 with Feyenoord. His 29 goals in 29 games yield an average of one goal per clash with the ‘ajacied’. “He gives us a lot and not only physically”, confessed a Ten Hag that he already had him at Utrecht (51 goals in 98 games) and that brought him back to the Dutch league. All a success.
27 years
Gol de Haller (2-0) and el Ajax 2-0 Besiktas
The 1.90 meter striker has exploded in his maturity. He came out of the Auxerre youth academy, went through Utrecht, swelled to score goals (33) at Eintracht alongside Jovic in two seasons… but got stuck at West Ham (14 in a year and a half). Since he arrived at Ajax in January 2021 he has celebrated 42 in 52 games. “I still can’t believe it. It’s a dream, I couldn’t wait any longer. I tried not to get too excited because I’ve always expected to play these kinds of games,” said Haller after making his Champions League debut with a ‘poker’ at Sporting CP. It’s his year.
€22.5 million
Gol de Haller (1-5) and el Sporting Portugal 1-5 Ajax
Ajax paid in January 2021 less than half of what West Ham invested in the summer of 2019 (50 million euros) to take him to London. At present, according to ‘Transfermarkt’, its value is 30 ‘kilos’. However, in the next market, the Champions League top scorer will have a price higher than the 45 million ‘maximum cost’ that it reached in the ‘Hammers’ in 2019. “I can only say that it would be very expensive,” said Ten Hag before a possible transfer. How much would Haller be worth now?
