Erling Haaland signed his lucrative Nike deal because he wanted to emulate Brazilian Ronaldo, according to reports.
The Manchester City striker, one of the hottest properties in the sport, put pen to paper on a massive boot sponsorship contract last week, worth £19.3million and lasting more than a decade.
Haaland's deal with the American sportswear giant ended at the start of the year but he has now re-joined their ranks in a massive boost to the company.
And the Athletic report the Norwegian superstar's decision was made with his heart and not with his head.
They add the 22-year-old enjoyed the romance of living up to another legendary No 9 in the form of Ronaldo Nazario.
Haaland had signed with Nike aged just 14, but since his deal expired in January has taken to the field in brands including Adidas and Puma. City's kit manufacturers Puma landed Haaland's team-mate Jack Grealish on terms understood to total £50million over five years, the largest contract ever handed to a British footballer.
He wore Puma Ultra boots at his City unveiling and Adidas X Speedportal boots in the Community Shield final against Liverpool last summer, but donned Nike Mercurial Vapors in their first Premier League clash, against West Ham.
That speculation over which brand he will be associated with is now over, with the deal described as 'career-long'.
His agent Rafaela Pimenta and father Alfie - who also played for City - advised him throughout the process. Pimenta claimed in October her client would 'sign the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of football'.
It is understood Haaland liked the idea of becoming the 'new face' of No 9s after being inspired by iconic former Brazil, Inter Milan and Real Madrid hotshot Ronaldo.
The former 98-cap international was also sponsored by Nike, across his entire career, and his Mercurial 'R9' boot from 1998 was hugely popular and well-known.
A Nike statement said: 'His record-breaking scoring has put a stamp on the future of the game, and makes him the heir to No 9 — the next-generation striker.
This season, Haaland has scored an astonishing 42 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions. Nike also sponsors young stars like Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford.
