Erling Haaland vs Kylian Mbappe - who was the better player at 26?

Erling Haaland celebrates his 26th birthday today, but do the stats suggest Kylian Mbappe was the better player at that stage of his life?

The pair of tremendously talented footballers are both the present and the future of the sport, with the icons destined to continue giving fans electric memories.

Both Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe dazzled at the FIFA World Cup 2026, scoring sensational goals to remind everyone of just how brilliant they truly are.

Of course, sports enthusiasts will always draw comparissons between the natural-born goal scorers, but with the Frenchman a year older than his counterpart, let’s have a look at how the stars compare when they were both the same age, and see who the winner is in each category.

Erling Haaland’s career record at 26

Apperances: 435

Goals: 359 (winner)

Assists: 74

Goal Contributions: 433

Minutes per goal: 90.48 (winner)
Minutes per goal or assist: 75.01

Free-kicks: 0
Penalties: 54 (winner)
Hat-tricks: 28 (winner)

League Goals: 205 (winner)
Champions League Goals: 57 (winner)
International Goals: 62 (winner)

Trophies

Club: Austrian Bundesliga x 1, Austrian Cup x 1, Premier League x 2, FA Cup x 2, EFL Cup x 1, FA Community Shield x 1, UEFA Champions League x 1, UEFA Super Cup x 1

Youth: None

International: None

Individual: European Golden Shoe x 1, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year x 1, UEFA Champions League Top Scorer x 2, Bundesliga Player of the Season x 1, Premier League Player of the Season x 1, Premier League Golden Boot x 3, Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Season x 1