Longest contracts in football: Nico Williams and other record holders

Nico Williams' transfer saga has given the audience a magnificent ending, as Athletic have won the battle for the player between Barcelona and Bayern.

Lent.az reports with reference to foreign media that the winger preferred Blaugrana, rejecting several offers from the Munich club. If we believe insiders, the financial situation of the Catalans again prevented the transfer, Nico wanted to include registration guarantees in the contract, which the club did not like.

As a result, the footballer extended his contract with Athletic with a 100 million euro buyout clause, the contract is calculated until 2035 - this is the longest active contract in football.

Transfermarkt has now taken a look at the players with the longest-term relationships with their clubs, ranking the best players by the number of years remaining until their contracts expire. Nico's 10-year contract with Athletic is in first place, with Erling Haaland in second place, who decided to stay at Man City for another nine and a half years in the winter of 2025.

The next seven lines are occupied by Chelsea players, namely the Londoners have been remembered in recent years with long-term contracts. The rating is closed by another representative of Athletic - Dani Vivian, who extended his contract with the Basques until 2032 in 2024, today he has 7 years left until the end of his contract with the Bilbao club.

Longest contracts in football by years remaining on the deal