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

Alfie Haaland and Egil Østenstad unveiled the behind-the-scenes activities of Haaland’s management team at a football conference titled “From Startup to Global Brand” held at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, attended by prominent figures in Norwegian football.

This management team, responsible for the success of Manchester City’s star striker, has secured extraordinary deals for Haaland. According to Østenstad, Haaland’s team focuses on four main areas: the footballer himself, the commercial sector, 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, the deal turned out really well.”

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

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

Østenstad further explained: “A lot happened in those two and a half years—especially as Erling became such a good player that it became increasingly difficult and expensive for Nike to say no to him.”

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

Now, the team includes several specialists with defined roles. Besides Alfie and Østenstad, Pimenta took over sports and contractual matters after Raiola’s passing. Additionally, personal trainer and biomechanics expert John Fix Haddad and sports therapist Mario Pafundi are part of the team.