Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has turned from doubts about whether the Norwegian striker Alexander Sørloth would be able to play a full game, he has become the most important card in the battle for success in both the Champions League and La Liga.
It took Alexander Sørloth only 4.5 minutes to score against his old club Real Sociedad on Saturday. This happened ten months after the Norwegian international striker hammered in the fastest ever hat-trick in La Liga (after 7, 8 and 11 minutes, plus another goal in the 28th minute) – also against the club he played 90 games for on loan from RB Leipzig. With less than four months left until the World Cup finals, the 30-year-old continues to shock the Spaniards.
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Since the new year, Sørloth has scored 11 goals in 2026. According to Spanish media, this should be one of the best starts to a year for an Atlético striker in recent times.
Atlético Madrid’s two biggest stars, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Álvarez, stand in 2026 with 2 and 3 goals respectively. In total, this amounts to less than half of what Sørloth has delivered for Atlético so far this year.
After two goals against Espanyol in February, Marca compared Sorloth’s scoring rate to that of legend Luis Suárez, who was on the rampage for two seasons after being pushed out by Barcelona. Even the goal guarantor Suárez has been overtaken by the Norwegian: “Sørloth surpasses Luis Suárez’s goal record at Atlético Madrid”, with 36 goals in fewer minutes than the Uruguayan striker legend.
After the explosive start to 2026, Marca describes Sørloth as a player in “Haaland mode” and Diego Simeone’s main attacking weapon. Mundo Deportivo points to the comparison with Harry Kane, who is the only one in the biggest leagues who can match Sørloth’s peak of form in 2026.
We can add that Vinícius Júnior, the Real Madrid star with a market value of 150 million euros (according to Transfermarkt), so far in the season stands with 9 La Liga goals in 2038 minutes. Sørloth, on the other hand, has 10 La Liga goals in 1464 minutes. (16 total for the season) In the Champions League, Vinícius Júnior has 3 goals in 811 minutes, while Sørloth has delivered 5 goals in 492 minutes. We’re just mentioning that.
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