14 November 2023 , 14:36
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Erling Haaland could become football's first £1billion player, the Manchester City star's agent has said, with the Premier League's leading goalscorer potentially set to cash in on the exponential growth of the gaming and virtual reality industries.
Rafaela Pimenta, the superagent who took over from Mino Raiola following his passing, believes Haaland could generate unseen revenues both through his endeavours on the pitch and innovations off it.
The 23-year-old goalscorer’s five-year contract at City is reportedly worth £97.5m in salary alone and once endorsement deals are factored in he could end up troubling rich lists as well as footballing record lists.
And in an interview with the Guardian, Pimenta said: “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, and shirts. With a player like Erling it gets to one billion.
“The multiples in the gaming industry are huge. In the metaverse, maybe I sell a digital Erling Haaland for €2,000 to 100m people in India, China, Brazil, and Mexico. Maybe we will get to a point where I experience a football game with goggles, which triggers the same emotions as if I were there. You’re really going 3D with the virtual experience.
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“So maybe we’ll sell the football game experience, not only to broadcasters but to individual people who can never afford or find the ticket to the Bernabeu or the Etihad. They can experience the game [on the metaverse] as if they are there. So when I say one billion I am using multiplicators beyond the physical.
“Transfer fees also keep going up. When Paul Pogba was transferred back to Manchester United [from Juventus in 2016] I said to Mino: ‘We need to fix the fee at Bale plus one euro. Mino said ‘Why?’ and I said ‘So we can break the world record of Jonathan Barnett [who negotiated Gareth Bale’s transfer from Spurs to Real Madrid for €100m]. It needs to be just €1 more than Bale.’ In the end, it was more.”
Pimenta also said that she is continuously impressed by how success and fame is yet to alter Haaland’s personality. She added: “I like dealing with the Haalands because they expect professionality and they communicate clearly. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. They listen to you. It’s very refreshing.
“He’s amazing with his feet on the ground. He’s very conscious of who he is and what he represents. He’s not delusional. I never saw in him those negative changes that fame and fortune bring. He’s only 23 but he’s so mature, so deep, so calm. And he loves to eat.”