The announcement of Erling Haaland’s extraordinary new nine-and-a-half-year deal at Manchester City has sparked fresh intrigue about the biggest contracts in the global game.
It is understood that Haaland’s new contract will make him Man City’s highest-paid player – a position which now makes him the highest earner in the entire league – but the Norway striker’s new contract has been compared to other sporting areas. How can it be compared to other major stars?
Holland’s news comes just a month after baseball New York Mets dominican star signed juan soto What is believed to be the largest deal in the history of professional sport – a remarkable 15-year, $765 million (£626 million) package.
espn It was reported at the time that Soto’s mega-deal included a $75 million sign-on bonus, no deferred money, a full no-trade clause and an opt-out after five years, allowing the Mets to get away with increasing his salary by $51 million. Could get. Up to $55 million over the final 10 years of the deal.
And if the Mets were to exercise that option, it would make the deal worth $805 million over the life of the contract, dwarfing the $700 million deal even further. shohei ohtani signed with LA Dodgers In 2023.
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Manchester City revealed Haaland’s new contract in a strange way. Courtesy of City Studios.
What are the largest annual and total contracts in sports?
Soto’s $51 million annual However, salaries are not the highest in world sport forbes,
Cristiano Ronaldo Reportedly earns around $210m per year al nassarWhereas Lionel Messi‘S 2017 contract with barcelona He reportedly received an annual salary of $168 million.
While accurate financial hollandThe new deal is naturally under closely guarded wraps, with the latest contract being an upgrade on the Norwegian’s previous contract which sky sports news Is understood to be in the region of £400,000 ($487,596) per week, making him man cityHighest earner.
That previous deal would have been worth £20.8m ($25.4m) per year for the striker.
So even if we use those previous figures as a starting point and extrapolate over his now new nine-and-a-half-year tenure, Haaland’s new contract is clearly worth more than £197.6m ($241.3m) over its entire term .
Anything over $240 million puts Haaland’s deal among the 50 most lucrative sports contracts of all time.
In other sports, four-time F1 world champion max verstappen His annual salary is reported to be $60 million red BullWith an additional $15 million in performance-related add-ons.
Soto won’t even be the highest-paid player in the United States dak prescott earn $60 million per year with dallas cowboys, Whereas steph curry Is the highest paid NBA star with an annual salary of over $55m.
But in terms of the total amount of money paid during the entire contract, Soto is far ahead of any other world sports star.
What did Haaland say about his new deal?
Reflecting on his new deal, Haaland said: “I am looking forward to signing my new contract and spending even more time at this great club.
“Manchester City is a special club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the kind of environment that helps bring out the best from everyone.
“I also want to thank Pep [Guardiola]His coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the club, because they have all helped me a lot over the years. They’ve made it a special place and now no matter what happens, I’m City.
“I want to keep growing, keep working to get better and do my best to help us achieve more success going forward.”
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Haaland committed his long-term future to Manchester City and said it was an ‘easy decision’ to sign a new deal until 2034. Courtesy of City Studios
Deal comes after ‘months’ of talks
Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom:
“It’s absolutely titanic. What a signing it is for Manchester City. What a wonderful moment it is to even bring this news forward.
“They’re calling it a 10-year contract because we’re in the first year. It’s unprecedented in terms of the length of contract that Manchester City gives to a player.
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A look at all angles of Haaland’s audacious brilliance in Manchester City’s 4-1 win over West Ham
“In terms of giving a player, who could be better than Erling Haaland? A guy who has already achieved so much in his two and a half years here and scored so many goals.
“You can only start to dream about where his numbers might end up if he lives until 2034, when he’s 34.
“He’s obviously a player who loves Manchester City. He’s someone who was born into a family who had a real association with City through his father, Alfie Haaland.
“From City’s point of view, it’s really pleasing that he has committed his future.”
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