Erling Haaland re-signed with Nike last week following speculation surrounding his future sponsorships.
Kylian Mbappe may be frustrated to learn that boot sponsor Nike have handed Erling Haaland a new ‘multi-million-pound’ deal. It is no secret that the Paris Saint-Germain star likes to be the main attraction wherever he goes, though his key sponsors do not appear to have got the memo on that front.
Mbappe and Haaland are the likeliest contenders to be battling it out for the Ballon d’Or for the foreseeable future, with many citing that the duo could be set for a ‘Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi’ rivalry at the very top.
Both players have already won numerous accolades respectively and are two of the most exciting prospects to ever emerge on the big stage, and their finances already represent that. Mbappe penned a ground-breaking three-year contract at PSG that made him one of the highest-paid sportspersons ever, and his Nike deal is incredibly lucrative as well.
Though the 24-year-old may not be the star of the show at the sports company, with the brand announcing that they had re-signed Haaland following months of speculation in what is a ‘multi-million-pound deal’, according to the Daily Mail. The Norwegian’s contract expired at the end of last season and he was in no rush to pen a new contract with any manufacturer, though has finally reached a deal to remain with Nike.
Adidas and Puma both made approaches to the Manchester City forward, though he opted to remain faithful to the company. The finances involved in the deal remain unknown, though previous statements about the money involved would suggest that they surpass Mbappe’s figures.
Haaland’s agent Rafael Pimenta said last year that his client would ‘sign the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of football’, and if he has fulfilled that promise then it could have caused a storm internally at the Nike headquarters.
Brands normally have one ‘main’ superstar to be the face of the company, though Nike may be forced to go against the norm now that they have boot deals with two of the biggest names in the industry. Additionally, they will need to keep Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford happy with their exposure.
Haaland and Mbappe both being signed by Nike means that the pair also aren’t following in the footsteps of Messi and Ronaldo either given that they were never on the same roster. Ronaldo was the face of Nike throughout his career, though Messi remained with Adidas to add to the implicit rivalry between the pair.
Source: express.co.uk
