Pepelu LevanteGetty

Ten more years! Levante star Pepelu signs mammoth contact - and celebrates with infinity symbol on his shirt

Contracts can be hard to come by in modern football, with competition fierce in any given squad, but Levante star Pepelu has bucked that trend by landing himself a 10-year extension with a club that suffered relegation out of La Liga in 2021-22.

The hard-working midfielder is a home-grown academy graduate at the Valencian outfit and is now tied to decade-long terms that are due to keep him in his current surroundings until the age of 33.

That is quite some agreement and it comes as no surprise to find that Levante have toasted a stunning deal by producing a unique shirt for Pepelu that has him donning the infinity symbol on his back.

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What have Levante said about the 10-year-old contract?

When announcing the fresh terms for Pepelu, the Spanish side have said on the club’s official website: “Levante UD and Jose Luis García 'Pepelu' have reached an agreement to join them with a new contract until 2032, that is, for the next 10 seasons.

“In this way, Levante UD guarantees the continuity of one of the players with the most participations last season, with his 30 games played between the Santander Liga and the Copa del Rey.”

Which other players and coaches have signed mammoth contracts?

Lionel Messi once signed a nine-year deal at Barcelona, with the Liga giants eager to put a long-term agreement in place with the Argentine superstar back in 2005 after seeing him burst onto a senior stage at Camp Nou.

Arsenal did likewise in the same year after seeing future club captain Cesc Fabregas showcase considerable potential as a teenager.

Saul Niguez may have struggled during a loan spell at Chelsea but he was highly regarded enough at Atletico Madrid to have been handed a nine-year contract in 2017.

Inaki Williams was another to land a nine-year deal in Spain when Athletic Club moved to fend off mounting interest in his services during the summer of 2019.

Back in 1998, Brazil international Denilson became the most expensive player on the planet when joining Real Betis from Sao Paulo, and he penned a 10-year contract when moving to Europe.

Raul and Andres Iniesta were handed lifetime deals by Real Madrid and Barcelona during their heydays at Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou respectively, but both eventually moved on.

Kepa Arrizabalaga was tied to seven-year terms when completing a 2018 transfer to Chelsea and becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in world football – with the Blues now asking questions of whether any value was found in that transfer.

In coaching circles, Alan Pardew was famously awarded an eight-year deal by Newcastle in 2012, only to leave for Crystal Palace two years later after failing to convince during his time at St James’ Park.

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