Erling Haaland’s stardom just keeps growing, and he might well be the most marketable name in the sport after the events of the World Cup.
The 25-year-old has won the hearts of Americans over the course of this tournament. He has gained more than 16 million followers on social media since opening night.
It’s another example of the commercial importance of the World Cup, and it puts Haaland on a course traveled by just one player before him — Cristiano Ronaldo.
Erling Haaland tipped to join Cristiano Ronaldo in soccer billionaires club
Back in 2023, after his blockbuster move from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City, agent Rafaela Pimenta was already seeing big things in Haaland’s future.
She told The Guardian: ““I am not saying a transfer fee would reach this amount. I mean the whole package you generate throughout your career.
“Today you can play until 35. Think of the salary, transfer fees, broadcasting revenues, sponsors, ticket sales, shirts. With a player like Erling it gets to one billion.”
Those comments came before the treble with City, winning three Premier League Golden Boots, and most significantly, an odds-defying run to the last eight of the World Cup with Norway.
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Even the most loyal Haaland supporter likely didn’t foresee it going this well, and that billion-dollar prediction now looks more like an inevitability.
Ronaldo was the first player to surpass the billionaire mark, with his strong commercial portfolio and lucrative deal with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. The 41-year-old has been the benchmark for commercial success in soccer for two decades, and Haaland looks to be following a similar trajectory.
He has at least ten more years at the top of the sport, and plenty of time to expand his personal empire further.
If he and Norway can pull off the upset against England and get to the semi-final, it will only speed up his progress. Whatever happens, Haaland has cemented his place among the biggest faces in the sporting world.
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