This Friday, January 17, Erling Haaland extended his contract until 2034 with Manchester City, a lease of exceptional duration for one of the best strikers on the planet in the middle of a season that is off to a bad start. In his first season, he set the Premier League goalscoring record with 36 goals.
Crazy contract: Erling Haaland extended his contract until 2034 with Manchester City on Friday, a lease of exceptional duration for one of the best strikers on the planet in the middle of a season that is off to a bad start. With the Norwegian averaging 44 goals per season since his arrival in the summer of 2022, he could aim at this rate to reach the 530 goal mark for the Sky Blue.
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“Sorry, I’m here to stay,” laughed the scoring machine in a video with an offbeat tone published on his club’s social networks to announce the extension of a contract which ran until 2027, thus evoking with humor his relationship with the defenders of the Premier League, the name of the English championship since 1992. “There have been a lot of rumors lately, and I understand that sometimes you don’t want me around”, has the 1.95m giant joked to all England backs.
He has tormented them quite a bit since his arrival in 2022 from Dortmund, where he blossomed at the highest level. Erling Haaland has already scored 111 goals in just 125 matches for the Citizens.
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Empty passage
In his first season, he set the Premier League goals record with 36 goals, far from Dixie Dean’s 60 goals with Everton in 1927-1928. Elected in 2023 by the press as best player in his first season, twice top scorer in PL, double champion of England, second in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2023 and 5th in 2024, Haaland has marked his territory since his arrival.
He was notably one of the major players in the historic Champions League-Premier League-Cup treble in 2023, which allowed the Citizens to equal the city’s other club, Man United, who achieved it in 1999 with the David Beckham generation. The tall blond born in Leeds, where his father Alf-Inge Haaland played, who also wore the City jersey for three years (2000-2003), is however going through a less successful third Mancunian season.
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Like his team, he experienced a big slump in November-December (six defeats, two victories and two draws in PL, and two defeats and a draw in C1), a series during which Haaland only scored 5 goals, well below its average. Quadruple reigning champion, City is only in 6th place in the Premier League, and Haaland “only” in second in the scorers’ ranking (16 goals), behind leader Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and his 18 goals.
“Legacy”
In the Champions League too, Pep Guardiola’s team is poorly ranked, 22nd before a crucial trip to Paris Saint-Germain (25th out of 36) on Wednesday. But Haaland has found his rhythm again with three goals in three matches in 2025.
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City, who is also looking to strengthen in attack by coveting the Egyptian from Frankfurt Omar Marmoush, is counting on the return to form of their scorer. “That he has re-signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him, and his love for this club,” greets football director Tixie Begiristain in a press release, emphasizing “in addition to his remarkable talent, his involvement, his professionalism, his humility and his desire to always progress.
“If he works hard, and I know he will, he will leave an incredible legacy in this club,” adds the Basque manager of the Citizens. With this long-term contract, the club of Pep Guardiola and Haaland are part of a trend initiated by the Chelsea of the American Todd Boehly, with ten-year leases for the Senegalese Nicolas Jackson and the young English prodigy Cole Palmer.
Athletic Bilbao is also committing some of its best players for the long term. Iñaki Williams signed a nine-year contract in 2019, a way for this club which only fields Basque players to dissuade potential buyers.
