6 players we can’t believe had a Ballon d’Or clause in their contract
Former Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid stars are among the six players we can’t believe had a Ballon d’Or clause in their contract.
The Ballon d’Or is one of the most prestigious awards in football as only 11 players have managed to get their hands on the prize since the year 2000.
We’ve done some digging and have found six players who we can’t believe once had a Ballon d’Or clause inserted into their contract.
Anthony Martial
Once upon a time, Martial was one of the top prospects in world football. Manchester United splashed £44.7million to prize him away from Monaco in 2015 and the rest is history.
Upon arriving in Manchester, the Frenchman had a Ballon d’Or clause added to his contract which meant the Red Devils would have to pay Monaco an extra £7.2million if he ever won the award.
Unsurprisingly, Monaco never saw any of that money.
Nicolo Zaniolo
Back in 2020, Fabio Capello described Zaniolo as a player with Ballon d’Or potential: “He has potential not just for the [European] Golden Shoe, but he can aspire to something more, to the Ballon d’Or.”
Galatasaray clearly took those words seriously as the Italian had a Ballon d’Or clause added to his contract upon his arrival in Turkey back in 2023.
However, Galatasaray fans haven’t seen much of the 25-year-old since his arrival last year as he’s spent time out on loan with Aston Villa and now Atalanta.
It also seems incredibly unlikely that he’ll be winning that Ballon d’Or anytime soon.
Angel Di Maria
Of all the players on this list, Di Maria probably stood the best chance of winning the Ballon d’Or, given his obvious talent.
However, it’s been well-documented that the Argentine didn’t enjoy life in the Premier League with Manchester United and he just so happened to have a Ballon d’Or clause back then.
The Red Devils would have had to pay Real Madrid an extra £4million if the Argentinian had won the Ballon d’Or during his time in England. But following an underwhelming campaign in England, he was quickly moved on.
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Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United are obsessed with Ballon d’Or clauses, aren’t they?
To be fair to Fernandes, he did receive a nomination for the 2021 award which is more than the majority of other players on this list can say. In the end, he came joint 21st alongside Lautaro Martinez that year.
The Red Devils are obligated to pay Sporting an extra €5million each time Fernandes finishes in the top three of the Ballon d’Or. Safe to say, they’ve not had to pay any extras as of yet.
Thiago Alcantara
Upon his arrival at Liverpool, Thiago had a clause inserted whereby he would be eligible for a bonus fee if he ever got his hands on the Ballon d’Or.
While plenty of his Liverpool teammates were nominated for the Ballon d’Or during his time at Anfield, Thiago himself never received a nomination.
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Andre Gomes
Barcelona thought they’d struck gold when they lured Gomes away from Valencia back in 2016. The Portuguese playmaker was so highly rated back then that he had a Ballon d’Or clause inserted into his deal.
Had he won the prize, Barcelona would have had to pay Valencia an additional €15million for his services. However, following some forgettable years at Camp Nou, he was eventually sold to Everton in 2018. Not exactly what Barcelona initially had in mind.