PUMA AND ADIDAS TUSSLE FOR HAALAND’S SIGNATURE WITH LUCRATIVE BOOT DEAL PROPOSALS.

Credit: BVM Sports

Erling Haaland is yet to commit his future to a new boot supplier after his $1M a year contract with US sportswear giant Nike expired in January.

German giants Puma and Adidas are leading the race for his signature with both proposals being described as attractive by close sources.

Puma had an initial proposal of $8M per annum turned down by his late agent Mino Raiola, who did the same with Adidas’s $10M a year offer as he wanted a lucrative $15M a year deal.

Rafaela Pimienta, Haaland’s current agent and close friend of the late Raiola is still holding out for $15M a year just as Raiola instructed before his untimely death in April 2022.

The feeling within the Haaland camp is one of calm and patience as they wait to see who meets their demands.

With Haaland now a free agent, he has been spotted training in Adidas boots and has himself posted photos while wearing Adidas clothing, though he continues to wear the Nike Mercurial Vapor 14 (now 15) boots in matches.

Why do some players seek brand freedom?

Many theories have been put forward to explain this behavior from some players who decide not to be associated with sporting brands; for example Mesut Ozil.

Players like Ozil have started up their own sporting wear brands and this partly explains the exodus of players from major brands. When Mesut Ozil’s contract with Adidas was winding down, his agent Dr. Erkut Sogut announced that his client would focus on his own label, the M10 brand .

Other players have however worked together with the traditional firms to produce their own line of clothing; for example David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane, both with Adidas.

Some brand deals limit the player’s capacity to sign other endorsement deals. This might be so if a particular firm can cover other accessories like personal care and hygiene products, watches and headphones.

With such a deal, the player might miss out on financial gains from possible new sponsors, which may therefore encourage them to not commit to traditional boot deals.