Football's strangest contract clauses
Player transfers often come down to dollars and cents, but its some of the obscure demands in fine print that often make for better reading.
The news value of a footballer's transfer from one club to another is often quantified in dollars and cents. Scant attention is given to the quirky contract demands that often make for far more entertaining reading.
Why, for example, does Barcelona fly a pack of Neymar's mates from Brazil to the Spanish city once every two months for an all-expenses-paid junket? And why does Juventus get first pick of the best young talent coming out of Argentinian giant BOCA Juniors? It's down to the devilish details contained in their contracts that often make the difference between nabbing that star player.
Juventus's dealings with BOCA got us thinking about football's strangest contract clauses. Here are our picks:
Juventus - Carlos Tevez to Boca Juniors, 2015
When Carlos Tevez signed for Boca Juniours in 2015, Juventus made sure it received first dibs on signing any young talent from Boca.
That clause has since paid dividends with the Old Lady snaffling up Uruguayan wonderkid Rodrigo Bentancur for $13.5 million, after the 19-year-old established himself as one of the club’s top players.
Thanks to this strange clause a host of clubs (including Tevez’s former club Manchester United) have their ex-player to thank for missing out on the exciting midfielder.
