Global soccer star Erling Haaland makes his first investment, selecting sports tech company Hyperice
Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund controls the ball next to Maximilian Arnold of Wolfsburg, during the Bundesliga match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund at Volkswagen Arena on May 23, 2020 in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Michael Sohn | Getty Images
One of European soccer’s most prominent young stars, Erling Haaland, finalized his first business investment and is now an equity holder in sports tech company Hyperice.
In the agreement, Haaland, who plays for German club Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga league, will serve as Hyperice’s face of its global soccer push as the company expanded in markets including France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The company makes muscle recovery gadgets that have become prominent in professional locker rooms across many sports.
Financial teams of the agreement were not made available.
“I’ve been a Hyperice fan for years so honestly it felt like an authentic move to join their team,” Haaland told CNBC via email.
“Erling is not only one of the world’s best footballers, but is also a leader and inspiration for young athletes all around the globe,” said Hyperice CEO Jim Huether in a statement. “We are proud to have Erling on team Hyperice as both an investor and our face of global football to drive innovation and performance for years to come.”
Haaland, 20, joins a list of athlete investors in Hyperice. He called it an “honor” to own equity with names including National Basketball Association star Chris Paul, Major League Baseball’s Fernando Tatis Jr. and tennis champion Naomi Osaka.
Hyperice also aligned with the National Football League in an equity deal last November, which was expected to increase the company’s valuation to $1 billion.
On the sponsorship front, Haaland is aligned with Nike. Asked what other firms he would invest in as his career progresses, Haaland mentioned “sports, technology and training” companies. Landing Haaland is beneficial for Hyperice as it attempts to hold off other companies entering the space.
Haaland is one of the more dynamic stars in European soccer. The striker is 6-foot-3 and a pure scorer. He entered the Bundesliga league in January 2020, racking up 38 goals in 41 games, including 25 goals this season tied for second in the league. Overall, Haaland has 53 goals in 56 games playing for Borussia Dortmund.
There is speculation Haaland could be on the move to a bigger club like Manchester United, Barcelona or Real Madrid, which would mean bigger brand exposure for Hyperice. But the Borussia Dortmund said the club expects Haaland to return next season.
And clubs interested in obtaining Haaland could pay a hefty transfer fee that could exceed $200 million. The compensation is paid to a club should another soccer organization want to obtain a player’s rights.
Some of the more notable transfer fees include Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain who paid Barcelona a record $263 million transfer fee for soccer star Neymar in 2017. The club also paid over $200 million for the rights to French forward Kylian Mbappe.
