Tadej Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates boss has said that what the world champion is "doing for Abu Dhabi is worth more than the races he wins".
The 26-year-old won the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships road race in 2024, becoming only the third man to win the 'Triple Crown' in the process. As a result, Pogačar signed a contract extension to 2030 with his UAE Team Emirates squad, which has been reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport and Cyclingnews to be in the region of €8 million a year.
However, the value the team places on Pogačar is not all about the races he wins, according to team principal Mauro Gianetti.
"Tadej is not on the market," UAE Team Emirates team manager Mauro Gianetti told Gazzetta at the e-sports World Championships.
"He doesn't want to leave, he's part of the country. What he's doing for Abu Dhabi is worth more than the races he wins. Pogačar is proud of that, he creates enthusiasm, a nation has discovered cycling and he has a great relationship with the royal family," Gianetti said.
Of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Amnesty International has several active campaigns listed as 'urgent actions', he said: "Cycling is the national sport. They're building more bike paths, the new track will be ready at the end of 2025 and Abu Dhabi will host the Road World Championships in 2028 and the Track World Championships in 2029."
Looking ahead to 2025, Gianetti said: "He could do another Grand Tour double with the Giro or the Vuelta along with the Tour. He won't do Paris-Roubaix because we can't expect him to always be a phenomenon."
Pogačar joined the team in 2019 and hit the ground running, winning the Tour of California and three stages of the Vuelta a España, as well as finishing third overall, in his first year. Since then, he has racked up a total of 88 wins, the overwhelming majority of which have been at WorldTour level. This year, he won 25 races.
UAE Team Emirates emerged out of what was Lampre-Merida in 2017, and have risen to become the most successful squad in the world. They are not the only sporting venture invested in by Abu Dhabi - the country's royal family are also investors in the City Football Group, the owners of Manchester City, among others. A Formula 1 grand prix is also held in the city.
According to Amnesty International, in the UAE "authorities continued to unduly restrict the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly".
