by Pep Guardiola was so stunned to learn of the length of Erling Haaland’s new record nine-and-a-half year contract that he asked Manchester City sporting director Txiki Begiristain to repeat himself.
His new tenure means the 24-year-old is tied to the champions until 2034 and receives a basic salary of around £500,000 a week. It is the longest agreement reached by a player in domestic competition. Guardiola does not take part in contract negotiations and was therefore asked shortly after Haaland’s deal was announced how he had reacted to the news from Begiristain. “I said, ‘Can you repeat that?’ And he said to me. ‘[10].’ I said, “Sure?” And he said, “Yeah.” So, good news. That means a lot.”
Halaand has proven to be a phenomenon at City, scoring 111 goals in just 125 games since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022. Guardiola was asked whether the length of the Norwegian’s contract was intended to ensure he could not leave the club for good in his prime. Last summer, Kylian Mbappé moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid on a free transfer at the age of 25.
“I don’t know the reason,” Guardiola said. “I didn’t ask. Because I think what happened in this situation, he feels it. He believes that playing at this club is the best thing for me and my career. It’s not more difficult. And of course he is a special player. Finding a player like Erling is so difficult. To find a striker at this level, why shouldn’t we make the effort to keep him once we have him? The club made a big effort to sign him.”
“It’s the trust for the club [in] Erling. Because you never know what can happen next year. But the club knows exactly how professional it is. His commitment in every single game and every single day to show his talent. And of course for him, because in 10 years you never know what will happen – it’s a long time.”
“I’m super happy,” said Haaland, who was previously under contract with City until 2027. “I am proud. It’s difficult to put it into words because it’s a big moment. I’m happy and that’s the right word. I look forward to staying here for a long time. In the end it was an easy decision given the people I spoke to, the hunger and support I’ve had from the board, bosses and Pep over the last few years. I’m thrilled.”
Haaland won two Premier League titles at City, the FA Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He expressed a desire for more and to continue improving.
-
Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android by searching “The Guardian.”
-
If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re using the latest version.
-
In the Guardian app, tap the menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
-
Enable sports notifications.
“I’ll stay for a long time,” said Haaland. “Now I can fully concentrate on getting better because I’m going to be here for so long. Full focus on performing and getting better to give all fans what they want.
“It happened really quickly. It feels like I just signed. It happened really quickly and that’s a good thing. It means I enjoy it.”
“For two and a half years as a City player I have won loads of trophies, played loads of good football and experienced so many great moments with the whole club and the fans,” he added. “I still remember the rainy parade [after the 2023 treble] That was perhaps the biggest and most beautiful moment because it was a typical Manchester parade. It was incredible and like a dream in those two and a half years.”
Haaland’s decision is a significant boost for City in what has been a difficult season for them. Guardiola’s side are in sixth place with 35 points, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have played a game more. On Sunday they travel to Ipswich.
The club is defending itself against more than 100 allegations from the Premier League. The city rejects all allegations. If the champions are found guilty, depending on the severity of the verdict, a possible sanction would be withdrawal from the top division.
