Haaland the most expensive player ever: Man City striker sets Fantasy Football record

News

FT Desk

Erling Haaland is officially the most expensive player in the history of Fantasy Premier League.

FPL remains one of the world's most popular online fantasy sports games, with millions of managers competing each season by building teams made up of Premier League players.

Ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, player prices are gradually being unveiled, with Haaland setting a new benchmark.

The Manchester City striker has been given a price tag of £15.5 million, the highest ever assigned to a player in the game.

Haaland was available for £14.0m last season, while his £15.0m valuation in 2024/25 previously stood as the record.

Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, started last season at £14.5 million, making the Liverpool forward the third-most expensive player Fantasy Premier League has ever featured.

Other previous holders of the record include Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Robin van Persie and Sergio Aguero

Managers are given a budget to assemble a 15-player squad, with points awarded each gameweek based on how those players perform in Premier League matches.

The official FPL says buying the big Norwegian is almost a necessity at this point even if he'll take a chunk out of your transfer budget.

"Despite his hefty price tag, Haaland’s history in Fantasy suggests that going without him would be a very risky tactic," the site reads.

"He has been the top-scoring player after the first six Gameweeks in all four of his seasons at Man City.

"The Norwegian has averaged nine goals over the first six Gameweeks in each season of his Fantasy career.

"But it is worth noting that this season will be the first time Haaland has been involved in an international tournament beforehand, due to Norway’s participation in the FIFA World Cup, where Haaland scored seven goals."