Erling Haaland won an overwhelming vote for the award associated with Manchester City after an incredible season in front of goal as his side won the treble.

In fact, it only goes one way. Erling Haaland is the 2023 Manchester City Fans’ Player of the Year after receiving a majority of votes from readers of The Manchester Evening News.

Haaland came second in the national vote for Reach PLC’s top award, with Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier taking the top spot. But the Norwegian won 46.5% of the more than 1,000 votes from City supporters, sending Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish to the club’s exclusive award.

During arguably Man City’s greatest ever period, Haaland was their best player. 44 goals in a calendar year could have yielded 50, had he not suffered a foot injury that has kept him out of the last four matches. City have two more games left in 2023, after Friday’s Club World Cup final, and the fact that you can’t completely rule out that milestone depending on fitness says a lot about the year in front of goal by Haaland.

Pep Guardiola has dominated the league for several seasons but City’s fortunes in Europe have always suffered due to a lack of a reliable goal threat. Haaland scored 12 goals in the Champions League last season and his team went through – no coincidence.

City’s season has been dominated by silverware and Guardiola can win his fifth Club World Cup trophy this week. The Blues defeated Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 on Tuesday and face Brazilian side Fluminense in the final on Friday.

All four of City’s nominees had outstanding years respectively during a period in which every player deserved recognition for making history. Grealish became a vital cog in Guardiola’s attack in his second season at the Etihad, Bernardo Silva continued to move around the pitch with complete freedom and Rodri was an ever-present rock.

But City need goals to rise to the top of European football and Haaland has brought them many.