Erling Haaland contract: Ranking the biggest contracts in sports history, with Juan Soto, Cristiano Ronaldo and more | Football News

The announcement of Erling Haaland’s extraordinary new nine-and-a-half-year deal with Manchester City has sparked fresh intrigue over the biggest contracts in world sport.

Haaland’s new deal is understood to make him Manchester City’s highest-paid player – a position which now looks set to make him the highest-paid in the entire league – but how does the Norwegian striker’s new deal compare to other top stars in other sports fields;

The Haaland news comes just a month after baseball New York Mets signed Dominican star Juan Soto in what is believed to be the biggest deal in professional sports history – a remarkable $765m (£626m) 15-year package.

ESPN reported at the time that Soto’s mega deal included a $75 million signing bonus, no deferred money, a full no-trade clause and an opt-out after five years, which the Mets could get rid of by raising his salary from $51 million to $55 million over the last 10 years of the deal.

And if the Mets picked up that option, it would make the deal worth $805 million over the course of the contract, further undercutting the $700 million deal that Shohei Ohtani signed with LA Dodgers in 2023.

What are the biggest annual and total contracts in sports?

Soto’s $51 million annual However, the salary is not the highest in world sports, according to Forbes.

Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly earns around $210 million a year in Al Nasrwhile Lionel Messi‘small 2017 contract with Barcelona earned him an annual salary of $168 million.

While its precise finances HaalandThe Norwegian’s new deal is of course under closely guarded shrouds, the latest contract being an upgrade over the Norwegian’s previous contract which Sky Sports News understands it was around £400,000 ($487,596) a week, resulting in Man Cityof higher income.

That previous deal would have been worth £20.8 million ($25.4 million) a year for the striker.

So even if we use these previous figures as a starting point and stretch out his new tenure of now nine-and-a-half years, Haaland’s new contract is clearly worth more than £197.6 million ($241.3 million) over its lifetime.

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 has a reported annual salary of $60 million Red Bullwith an additional $15 million in performance-related bonuses.

Soto won’t even be the highest paid player in the US, as Dak Prescott will earn $60 million a year with the Dallas Cowboys, while Steph Curry he is the highest paid NBA star with an annual salary of over $55 million.

But in terms of total money paid over the course of the full contract, Soto’s is way ahead of any other star in world sports.

What Haaland said about his new deal

Reflecting on his new contract, Haaland said: “I am very happy to have signed my new contract and I am looking forward to spending even more time at this great club.

“Manchester City is a special club, full of fantastic people with amazing fans and it’s the kind of environment that helps bring out the best in everyone.

“I also want to thank Pep (Guardiola), his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the club as they have all helped me so much over the last two years. They made this place so special for me to be and now I’m City no matter what.

“I want to keep improving, keep working to get better and try to do the best I can to try to help us have more success in the future.”

The deal follows “months” of negotiations

Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom:

“It’s absolutely titanium. What a signing for Manchester City. What a time to break this news too.

“They call it a 10-year contract because we are in the first year. It is unprecedented in terms of the length of contract Manchester City have given a player.

“As for a player to give it to, who better than Erling Haaland? A man who has already achieved so much in his two and a half years here and scored so many goals.

“You can start to dream where his tally might end up if he stays until 2034, when he will be 34.

“He is obviously a player who loves Manchester City. He is someone who was born into a family that had a real connection to City through his father Alfie Haaland.

“From City’s point of view, there is real delight that he has committed his future.”

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