Sport

Erling Haaland sets another Premier League record with new Manchester City contract

He isn't going anywhere for a long, long time.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 17th January 2025

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has signed a new long-term contract with the English champions and set another Premier League record in the process.

Haaland only joined City back in 2022 on a lucrative five-year deal and it took no time at all for him to hit the ground running and become a Golden Boot winner in his debut season and smash numerous records in the process, but the club are clearly looking to lock down the generational forward even further.

The prolific Scandinavian striker has already scored 111 goals in 125 games for the Blues, so it’s just common sense to tie him down for as long as they possibly can – and when we say long…

Putting pen to paper on a new nine-and-a-half-year deal revealed on Friday, 17 January, Haaland has now committed to his future at the Etihad until 2034, which is a record for the lengthiest contract in Premier League history.

Man City may have rounded up to 10 in their official announcement but either way, a seven-year extension on an existing contract which is unquestionably already one of if not the highest-paying in the division is quite the statement from both parties.

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Haaland’s new terms see him surpass former City youth product Cole Palmer, whose switch to Chelsea on a nine-year deal was already groundbreaking for the league, having signed more than half a dozen players on contracts spanning seven years in 2023.

The big Norwegian number nine – who became a boyhood Blue during his dad’s playing days at the club – is set to earn a basic wage of approximately £500,000 a week, which is thought to make him the new highest earner after teammate Kevin De Bruyne (£400k).

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This means that not only is the 24-year-old forward tacking on another seven years but also a further £125kpw reported figures are accurate.

City also shared multiple videos celebrating the news and the often humourous Haaland has certainly relished the pageantry of it all:

Reflecting on his new deal, Haaland said in an official statement: “I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.

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“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.

“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.

“I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”

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Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, who is set to leave at the end of this season, added: “Everyone at the Club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract. The fact he signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player and his love of this club. 

“He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves. But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling’s dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.

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“He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club.”

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Featured Images — Manchester City/Jacek Stanislawek (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sport

Manchester Remembers Foundation announces its return for a special anniversary charity match

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Remembers charity game back in 2027

The Manchester Remembers Foundation has announced the return of its charity football game in 2027, which will coincide with a special anniversary close to all Mancunians.

For those unaware, the MCR Remembers charity matches were set up in memory of the Manchester Arena victims, helping raise funds for the families of the 22 who sadly died in the attack.

While the fifth iteration of what started out as an annual vision, set for this past summer, was sadly cancelled back in May and the Foundation itself seemingly shut down, the co-founders have decided they’re not ready for it all to end just yet.

Somewhat quietly confirming the return of the fundraising footy match on social media, the next fixture will be returning next year, which marks a full decade since the tragedy.

Writing a slightly lengthier statement on Instagram, MCR Remembers creators Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan said: “No matter how difficult things get and how little support we get from people in positions to help, we have to keep going.

“We take inspiration from the brave and courageous people who were so closely involved with the arena attack. We will continue to remember those affected and celebrate their legacy.

“We are planning a spectacular return for the 10th anniversary in 2027. Plans and talks to begin shortly
We will reassess after that event. As always, thank you to those that stuck by us. We see you, and we appreciate every single one of you. Stay tuned. Aaron / Paul.”

Lee – a local and a former police officer on 22 May 2017 – set up the organisation with his friend and fellow fundraiser (10 marathons in 10 months) with the aim of not only honouring those lost but also to help raise vital funds for their families and native bereavement charities.

They’re two incredibly inspiring individuals who have done a lot to help those in and around Greater Manchester, as well as keep that date in our heads and hearts.

Now a firefighter and having helped raise more than £200,000 for the six associated charities overall, he was presented with the Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation award in August 2024.

Although information is still scarce in these early stages, The MCR Remembers Foundation has assured that details regarding exactly when and where the game is set to take place will be shared over the coming week and months.

It goes without saying that we here at The Manc are glad to see the moving charity match being confirmed for a comeback, even if it’s only for a one-off, and can’t wait to see which ex-pros and celebrity players get involved.

Then again, who knows? A successful return could signal the start of a fully-fledged revival, and we sincerely hope it does.

Watch this space and see you next year for the anniversary edition of Manchester Remembers 2027.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

Sport

Five fantastic freebies and offers for the 2025 Manchester Half marathon

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Half marathon freebies finisher's medal

It’s nearly time: not just for the Manchester Half but, more importantly, the freebies and offers you can get for running it.

Let’s be honest, not everyone loves running for literal miles just for the sake of it; a lot of people need motivation, and besides an inspiring cause, you’d be surprised how many people will get out of bed for something as simple as free stuff.

You might be one of them – you are here reading this, after all.

There’s no long-winded preamble or intro needed to set this up, so let’s just crack on. Here are five brilliant freebies you can get with a 2025 Manchester Half Marathon medal.

What freebies you can get with a Manchester Half finisher’s medal

Now, you’ll be glad to know that most of these are completely gratis, but we thought we’d mention some others that stuck out to us as well.

1. Free fizz on The Refuge

First up, how about some free fizz? Well, that’s exactly what you can get this Sunday, 12 October, if you’ve just run the 2025 Manchester Half-marathon.

Participants can head to The Refuge inside the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel after the race to claim a well-earned glass of prosecco – available to the first 100 finishers on a first-come, first-served basis. 

free prosecco manchester half marathon
refuge kimpton clocktower hotel

2. Complimentary food and drink at Circolo Popolare

Next up, it doesn’t get much better than a free pizza and a cold one; that’s what Circolo Popolare in Gary Neville’s stunning St. Michael’s building are offering.

Just show your medal and enjoy a free margherita pizza plus your choice of either an ice-cold beer or a refreshing virgin cocktail. Prego!

3. You’ve got to be quick to get House of Social’s freebie

Speaking of free drinks, the first 50 runners who use the last of their energy to dash over to House of Social this Sunday and enjoy a pint on the house.

All you have to do is present your medal when ordering to snap up a beer at absolutely no cost. So we’ll see you there, basically.

4. Free pints at The Grosvenor

Self-explanatory, really. The student favourite that used to be the old Footage pub on Oxford Road is offering up a limited amount of free pints to runners, just make sure you show your medal at the bar.

To be honest, even if it wasn’t free, we’d still probably spend a good few hours here sinking affordable pints because it is absolute VIBES at this gaff.

@the.manc Live sport at The Grosvenor is BACK ⚽️ Round up your mates, and book one of their drinks tables to watch your team on their super screen. #themanc #thegrosvenor #championsleague #derby ♬ act slowed – kyra

5. Starter on the house at Italiana Fifty Five

Last but not least, if you’re looking for a lovely carby reward in the city centre, you’re obviously spoilt for choice, but Italiana Fifty Five are offering a free starter when booking and presenting your 2025 finisher’s medal upon arrival.

Available at all Greater Manchester locations, the Italian eatery formerly known as Cibo always delivers good offers, and race day for the MCR Half is no different.

Honourable mention…

Bonus breakfast butties at The Wharf

Oh yeah, it might not be a freebie per se, but as one of the busiest post-marathon celebration spots anywhere in Greater Manchester, The Wharf is obviously getting involved beforehand as well.

This year, the canalside Castlefield favourite is serving up sausage and bacon butties from 10-11:30am before the usual Sunday roast service kicks in as normal from 12pm. Now we’ve just got to pray for good beer garden weather.

the wharf mcr half marathon finishers model
manchester half marathon offers

We hope you get to make the most of these freebies and others Manchester Half offers after your race is run, because let’s be honest, running 13.1 miles (21 and a bit kilometres for you metric heads) is a fair bit of effort, so you deserve a treat.

It goes without saying that there’s probably plenty more SWAG to be snapped up in and around the city that we’ve missed, so make sure to let your fellow runners know about them down in the comments.

Finally, if you’re still feeling uncertain about anything to do with the race itself, you can find our full Manchester Half Marathon guide down below.

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Manchester Half 2025 guide – route, waves, start times and everything you need to know

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/press shot (supplied)

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