According to ruмours, Erling Haaland signed his lucrative Nike contract because he wanted to be like the Brazilian Ronaldo.
This Friday, the Manchester City striker, one of the Һottest commodities in the sport, signed a boot sponsorship deal worth more than £19.3 мillion and spanning more than a decade.
Haaland’s contract with the American sportswear giant expired at the beginning of the year, but he has rejoined the company’s ranks as a significant boost.
According to The Athletic, the Norwegian superstar made his decision with his heart and not his intellect.
The 22-year-old relished the romance of living up to another iconic No. 9 in Ronaldo Nazario, according to the source.
Haaland signed with Nike when he was 14 years old, but after his contract expired in January, he has donned footwear from Adidas and Puma. Jack Grealish, Haaland’s teammate, signed a five-year, £50 мillion contract with City’s kit manufacturer Puma, the richest contract ever awarded to a British footballer.
He wore Puma Ultra boots for his City debut and Adidas X Speedportal footwear in the Community Shield final against Liverpool last summer. However, he wore Nike Mercurial Vapors for their first Premier League match against West Ham.
The arrangement is defined as ‘career-long,’ putting an end to ruмors over the brand with which he will be affiliated.
His father Alfie, who also played for City, and agent Rafaela Pimenta advised him throughout the entire process. In October, Pimenta asserted that her client would “negotiate the largest sponsorship deal in football history.”
It is believed that Haaland was inspired by legendary former Brazil, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid forward Ronaldo to become the “new face” of No. 9s.
For his whole career, the former 98-cap international was sponsored by Nike, and his Mercurial ‘R9’ boot from 1998 was very popular and well-known.
Nike released the following statement: ‘His record-breaking scoring has imprinted the future of the game and makes him the heir to No. 9 — the next-generation striker.
Haaland has scored an astounding 42 goals in 37 games across all competitions this season. Nike also sponsors rising athletes such as Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford.