In the history of football, there have been few contracts more remarkable than Erling Haaland’s recent record deal.
The Norwegian sharpshooter has signed an extraordinary new nine-and-a-half-year deal with Manchester City that will, at least hypothetically, keep him at the Etihad Stadium until he is 33.
Unsurprisingly, Haaland’s latest contract comes with an impressive pay rise, cementing his status as one of the world’s top earners – a reward for several years of exceptional service and tireless goal contributions.
But how does Haaland’s weekly salary compare to some other football superstars?
There have been conflicting reports about the exact amount Haaland is now earning from the reigning Premier League champions, but these have been published by The Pitch Prospect that his new contract is making his mouth water £500,000 a week.
That’s a £100,000-a-week increase on his previous salary and will earn him a paltry £26 million each year. Should he stay at Man City until his contract expires in 2034, Haaland would have earned £247m in wages alone.
In other words, Haaland currently earns around £50 per minute and £3,000 per hour. This is before you think about sponsorship offers and bonuses. Simply stunning.
If Haaland actually earns half a million pounds every week, that would make him by far the highest-paid player in the Premier League. This title was previously held by a Man City teammate Kevin De Bruynewhose current deal is worth £400,000 a week. Liverpool Mohamed Salah and, quite remarkably, that of Manchester United Casemiro are the second highest earners in the division, taking home £350,000 a week.
There are currently only six players in world football who earn more than Haaland, none of whom play in Europe. Unsurprisingly, Saudi Arabia currently pays the highest wages, with Al Nassr being the star Cristiano Ronaldo He collects the earth-shattering sum of £3.2 million every seven days.
Neymar Jr. (£2.65m) and Karim Benzema (£1.6m) both earn ridiculous weekly wages and are eight-time Ballon d’Or winners Lionel Messi takes home £865,000-a-week for Inter Miami.
Sadio Mane (£650,000) and Haaland’s former Man City pal Riyadh Mahrez (£580,000) are also outperforming the Scandinavian giant on a weekly basis.