Erling Haaland’s agent has said that his star client is now the most valuable player in the world, stating that he is now worth a whopping €1 billion.
The transfer window slammed shut on 31 January and, obviously, there was no chance of Haaland leaving the Etihad, but the 22-year-old superstar’s agent has still been talking about her client and what she deems to be his current market value.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with sporting outlet AS, Brazilian agent Rafaela Pimenta was talking about how she took over managing the City striker as a client after former representative and renowned football agent, Mino Raiola, passed away in April of 2022.
Discussing everything from the power balance between player and agent to Haaland’s personality and how social media can help be a gift or a curse, the 50-year-old was eventually asked how much she thinks he is worth today. She already had the extraordinary figure in her head back in October.
"Erling Haaland could be the first £1bn player!" 🤯
Doubling down on the statement on Wednesday, 1 February, she told AS‘ Marco Ruiz: “For me, Haaland is worth 1,000 million [roughly £895 million]. Maybe nobody is going to pay that, but it is the potential that he has when he arrives at a club.”
Contextualising the number, she noted that Paul Pogba was valued at “£80 million and everyone said… It’s incredible! Today many are worth it. The top is at Neymar’s €222m… The numbers change.”
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Pimenta worked alongside Raiola for more than 20 years, helping engineer deals like Pogba’s return to Manchester United for a then-world record fee. She has since inherited his football agency empire, representing the likes of Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Erling Haaland and more.
She went on to insist that with a player like Haaland, you’re not just getting his performances on the pitch: you’re paying for the full package and that’s why she feels he should be valued so highly.
“With him comes fans, goals, sports results, professionalism, digital content, notoriety, sponsors… If you put all this together, his value is an aggregate of many things. But the price of a footballer is actually set by a club.”
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She went on to admit that while she believes “nobody is going to pay 700 million for a player”, she stands behind her statement that “the value Erling adds when he arrives at a club is immense, at least 1,000 million.”
Haaland is already said to be on nearly £900k a week thanks to his current deal — we don’t even want to think of what his compensation would look like if the numbers ever get that ridiculous.
With City’s number nine on course to break all manner of records, especially with those in blue around him giving him plenty of service and a platform to shine even brighter on the world stage, we really couldn’t put a number on how much Haaland is worth… but a billion!?
Elsewhere in the interview, Pimenta refused to confirm whether her client has a release clause in his contract, simply replying: “I’m not saying anything.” This comes after manager Pep Guardiola insisted no such clause exists at present.
She was also probed as to whether she expects Haaland to play in Spain one day, with Real Madrid mentioned specifically; all she would say is that “today he is very happy at City. Tomorrow, we’ll have to think about it”.
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How long do you see Erling Haaland staying at City for?
A live orchestral football chant concert is coming to Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
Yes, you heard us right: a whole live concert revolving around the world of football chants is coming to Manchester city centre.
And better still, you don’t have to wait long for it to come around either.
Teaming up with the National Football Museum, our city’s well-renowned Manchester Camerata chamber orchestra will be doing what they do best and putting a twist on some of the most famous songs sung at stadiums around the world.
Being MC’d by Classic FM and sports presenter Karthi Gnanasegaram, the unique show will see the soundtrack of the beautiful game brought to life and to the people in a whole new light.
From local terrace chants like ‘Blue Moon’ and ‘Glory, Glory, Man United’ that are regularly belted at full volume every weekend in our city, to ‘Three Lions’ and other iconic England anthems, die-hard footy fans have helped score (pardon the pun) the sport as we know it for nearly two centuries.
Moreover, they will continue to do so for generations to come – and it’s live, musical spirit that these performances are looking to capture in a fully-fledged orchestral fashion.
The oldest football chant on record is thought to have been written by composer Sir Edward Elgar way back in 1898, who wrote ‘He Banged the Leather for Goal’ in tribute to the once beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers striker, Billy Malpass.
Great last name for a player, by the way.
Speaking ahead of the perfect springtime event, host Karthi recently gave us a better insight into the exclusive show; you can find out more down below.
Spanning all the way from the foundational song by Elgar to more modern-day examples like ‘Wavin’ Flag’ by K’naan, written for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, it’s an oral journey through a big sport of not just sporting culture but countries all over the world.
‘The Beautiful Game’ at the National Football Museum aims to “celebrate the drama and passion of the nation’s most beloved sport”, with the classical arrangements to be conducted by Enyi Okpara.
Fresh off being appointed as Fellow Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2026/27 season, you couldn’t ask for a better pedigree – especially with all the talents that make up the Manchester Camerata itself.
Taking place over the duration of two shows on Friday, 24 April 2026 at 6:30pm and 8pm, Gorton residents can get tickets from just £3, only a fiver for students, and under 30s at just a tenner.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (via MCR Camerata/The Manc Group)
Sport
Sale Sharks secure England veteran Courtney Lawes as he eyes up international return
Danny Jones
Sale Sharks have confirmed the signing of rugby union veteran Courtney Lawes as he returns to the Premiership after a two-year hiatus.
Almost just as importantly, Lawes also looks to be eyeing up an England comeback…
Courtney Lawes officially retired from international duty following the 2023 Rugby World Cup and left the Gallagher PREM in ’24, but now the London-born and former Brive flanker is reannouncing himself to the division, becoming Sale’s latest signing ahead of the Sharks’ 2026/27 term.
Penning a one-year contract, the deal is now done, with the ex-British and Irish Lions star set to journey back across the Channel soon, as the start of the next campaign is coming back around quickly.
Lawes left the UK just a couple of years ago to join the side in southern France, and could have accepted a move to Leicester Tigers but turned down the offer; given the obvious rivalry between them and his former stomping ground, Northampton Saints, it was little surprise.
It’s also worth reminding the his last season with the Saints saw him helping them lift their title in a decade, and even he remains a hugely experienced addition to any squad.
Having been monitored by a number of teams, including his old team, he admitted that his wife’s family being from Cheshire did prove to be a decisive factor.
Now 37, there had been many who questioned how he would fare back in this league – guess we’ll find out very soon.
More importantly, the seasoned member of the second row also made it clear his intentions to at least put himself in the conversation for the national team once again.
Writing in an official statement, he said: “I’m officially un-retiring from international duty, and I’d love to play for England again, but first and foremost I want to play well for Sale, and we’ll see what happens after that.” He also recently penned a column for The Times explaining the decision.
He’s made it plain he’d like to be involved next year.
Courtney went on to add: “I’m really excited to be joining Sale. I’ve been out of the Prem now for a couple of years, and I just want to finish my career playing at the top level. I think Sale have got a brilliant squad, so hopefully I can add to that, and we’ll see what we can do next year.
“My body feels good, and I’m still performing at a high level. I feel like I can compete with the best of them, and then some, and I think if I retired now, I’d probably regret it when I was older.
“As a rugby player, you’ve got a very finite career, and you’re a long time retired, so I want to make the most of it while I can, give it everything for another season and then we’ll see what happens…
“There will be quite a few familiar faces at the club. I’ve played with a lot of the England lads, and Dorian West was my first forwards coach as a professional player. I know the club is bringing in some brilliant players for next season too – guys like Joe Marchant and Alex Lozowski will add a lot on and off the field.
What do we reckon then, Sharks fans: is this a signing you’re happy with?
Danny Jones -
2nd February 2023 
