Erling Haaland’s extraordinary new nine-year contract worth a record £200million will make one woman very happy indeed - his stunning partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen.
The Man City striker, 24, has just signed a new £400,000-per-week deal - one of the largest in football history.
It comes just weeks after the Norwegian goal machine and gorgeous Isabel, 20, celebrated the birth of their first child.
Described as ‘incredibly beautiful, intelligent, sociable, outdoorsy’, Isabel has often been seen pitch-side to cheer the star striker and has supported him at awards ceremonies.
Yet her glamorous life in Manchester is a far cry from less than two years ago when she was sitting in a classroom at Bryne Upper Secondary School in south-west Norway.
Described by friends in her hometown as the ‘luckiest girl in Byrne’, teenage Isabel discreetly left her parents’ home after taking a leave of absence to ‘study remotely’ and moved from the fjords to Haaland’s Manchester home in April 2023.
Isabel, who is a footballer herself and worked part-time at a fashion store. She is believed to have met Haaland at the youth academy at Bryne, who they both played for.
In a rare interview, Isabel recalled how they grew close.
Erling Haaland and his partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen arrive at the 2023 Ballon dOr ceremony in Paris. The couple recently celebrated the birth of their first child
It is only two years since Haugseng Johansen, 20, was sitting in a classroom at Bryne Upper Secondary School in south-west Norway
The couple pose with the Champions League trophy on the pitch at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul following Manchester Citys 1-0 win over Inter Milan in 2023
She said: ‘We were just kids, kicking a ball around without a care in the world.
‘We were inseparable on the pitch.
‘We didn’t know it back then, but those moments were the foundation of something much bigger.’
Haaland joined Bryne at the age of five and spent more than 10 years with the Norwegian side before later having spells at RB Salzburg, Dortmund and Man City.
As his career began to take off at RB Salzburg, love with Isabel reportedly blossomed.
They stayed in touch, following his move from Norwegian side Molde.
‘We always kept in touch,’ Isabel said.
‘It didn’t matter where we were - we always made time for each other.’
Haaland and Haugseng Johansen pose for the cameras at the 2024 PFA Awards at Manchester Opera House, where the striker lost out to team-mate Phil Foden as players player of the year
Haugseng Johansen, right, seen here with a friend, started dating Haaland when he was at his previous club, Borussia Dortmund, making frequent trips to Germany to visit him
Haugseng Johansen, right, again seen with a friend, has enjoyed a series of lavish holidays with Haaland, who is said to be worth £30 million
The couple only started dating when he was at Borussia Dortmund, with Isabel making frequent trips to visit him.
Since becoming official, they have enjoyed a series of lavish holidays including breaks in Marbella, where Haaland (said to already be worth £30million) owns a £6million villa and aboard a yacht in Capri, Italy
But Isabel - who has no social media profile - is more at home living a quieter life.
‘I’m happiest when I’m with the people I love, doing the things I enjoy,’ she shared. ‘That’s what keeps me grounded.’
She added: ‘We just want to live our lives without too much fuss. At the end of the day, we’re just like any other couple.’
But according to reports she isn’t beyond splashing out on luxuries. Just before Christmas, The Sun reported Isabel spent more than £6,000 at Selfridges — including a £1,670 backpack and a £950 Gucci hoodie for Haaland.
She also bought a £2,700 Gucci handbag in the online spree.
Details of Isabel’s spend emerged after blundering Selfridges staff sent her receipt to another customer by mistake.
Haugseng Johansen, who is a footballer herself, is believed to have met Haaland at the youth academy at Bryne, the Norwegian club for which they both played
We just want to live our lives without too much fuss, says Haugseng Johansen. At the end of the day, we’re just like any other couple’
Even before signing his new contract - which runs until the summer of 2034 - Haaland is said to have snapped up a Cheshire mansion close to the Alderley Edge home he had been renting from the Kamani family who own BooHoo and PrettyLittleThings.
Haaland and Isabel were spotted being shown around a £3.5million property - which is being sold by Premier League star Danny Ings - boasts six bedrooms and six reception rooms, along with its own gym, swimming pool and steam room and sauna.
And the modern mansion, built in 2017, is just a five-minute drive from the home of Haaland’s best mate and City winger Jack Grealish.
Having secured his Man City future with a new contract, which removes two release clauses from the previous deal, the 24-year-old insisted that he wants to create a legacy at the Etihad Stadium.
‘I’m super happy, proud,’ Haaland said. ‘I’m looking forward to staying here for a long time. Now I can fully focus on getting better because I am going to stay here for such a long time. Full focus on performing and getting better to give all of the fans what they want.
‘In the end, speaking with the people I spoke with, the hunger and the support that I have been getting for the last couple of years from the board, from the bosses and from Pep (Guardiola), it was an easy decision. I am delighted.’
Winning consecutive Golden Boots and setting a Premier League record, Haaland has plundered 111 goals in 126 games since joining from Borussia Dortmund for £51million three years ago and was an integral reason why City won their historic Treble in 2023.
But the striker has managed just 16 Premier League goals so far this season as City’s faltering form has seen them slip to sixth with little hope of them winning a fifth consecutive league title.