Erling Haaland picks up FWA Footballer of the Year award ahead of Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard

Erling Haaland, a striker for Manchester City, acknowledged when he accepted the FWA Footballer of the Year award that his record-breaking debut season in English football exceeded his expectations.

On Thursday, May 25, the striker accepted the Footballer of the Year accolade from the Football Writers' Association in London.

It's been gathered that Haaland defeated Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard to win the FWA award with 82% of the votes.

Prior to Sunday's Premier League finale against Brentford, Haaland has 52 goals in 51 outings for City since his £51 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

On June 10, City will play Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul, a week after they take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final after winning the Premier League. They want to equal the accomplishment of their local rivals in 1999.