The 2022/23 Premier League Player of the Season has been announced, and to no one's surprise, the recipient of this year's prize is none other than Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian sensation has set records in his debut season in England, scoring a whopping 36 goals in 35 appearances in the English top flight. This saw him break the record for the most goals in a single 38-match Premier League season.
It had to be him!@ErlingHaaland is your @EASPORTSFIFA Player of the Season #PLAwards | @ManCity pic.twitter.com/MxI9cpE8QX
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 27, 2023
As a result, he was nominated for Player of the Season and beat out competition from Cityzens teammate Kevin de Bruyne to lift this prize. Additionally, Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were also in the running, but just like in the title race, Haaland came away with all the bragging rights.
Additionally, the 22-year-old hasn't simply been a goalscoring machine as he has also racked up eight assists and has established a great partnership with De Bruyne and Grealish in attack.
The former Dortmund ace was also named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year not too long ago. However, while individual accolades are something to celebrate, it pales in comparison to the big prize at hand for Manchester City and their players: the treble.
Not only has Guardiola's side won the Premier League, but the English giants have also secured progression to the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals. Haaland and Co. will face Manchester United and Inter Milan respectively. Win those fixtures and this Man City side would write their name in history.
The Premier League champions will face Brentford on Sunday in their final top-flight game of the season, meaning Erling will have the opportunity to add to his tally of 36 goals. Pep will want to end the domestic campaign on a high but winning at the Gtech Community Stadium isn't an easy feat.
After that, the focus will quickly shift to the FA Cup final on June 3, with the Cityzens looking to avenge that controversial 2-1 defeat they suffered at Old Trafford in their last encounter with the Red Devils. Guardiola's side will then have a week to prepare for the Champions League final against Inter, which is a huge boost.