According to reports, Alf-Inge Haaland, Erling’s father, and Egil Østenstad, a financial expert, rarely speak about the business behind Erling Haaland. However, this time they revealed unprecedented details about their negotiation tactics for multi-million euro deals.

Alfie Haaland and Egil Østenstad attended a football conference titled “From Startup to Global Brand” held at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, where they unveiled the behind-the-scenes activities of Haaland’s team. This management team, responsible for the success of Manchester City’s star striker, has secured extraordinary contracts for Haaland. According to Østenstad, Haaland’s team focuses on four main areas: the player himself, commercial aspects, asset management, and the exclusive EH9 brand.

In an unexpected and candid presentation, Alfie Haaland shared new details about negotiations with Nike: “We worked on this deal for a long time.” The father of the Norwegian international admitted: “We negotiated with Nike for two to three years. But in the end, it turned out to be a very good deal.”

The deal signed with Nike in 2023, according to Alfie Haaland, spans 10 to 15 years and is considered the largest sponsorship deal in football history. Reports suggest its value is around €22 million. In contrast, Haaland’s previous deal with Nike earned him only about €1 million per year, during which he also tried shoes from brands like Adidas and Puma.

Østenstad recalled: “Two and a half years before signing the deal in London, Alfie and I were playing golf. Alfie said, ‘Rafaela and Mino turned down this amount of kroner! They must be crazy.’ After the death of Mino Raiola, the famous agent, in 2022, Rafaela Pimenta took over his responsibilities and continued the negotiations.

Østenstad added: “A lot happened in those two and a half years, especially as Erling became such a good player that it became harder and more expensive for Nike to say no to him.”

As Erling’s success grew, so did the structure of his team. Alfie Haaland essentially serves as the CEO of this empire, and Østenstad was officially hired as financial manager in the summer of 2022 to oversee investments and partnership deals.

Today, the team includes several specialists with defined roles. In addition to Alfie and Østenstad, after Raiola’s passing, Pimenta took over sports and contractual matters. John Fix Haddad serves as a personal trainer and biomechanics expert, and Mario Pafundi works as a sports therapist.