Which football players have had or still have a bonus in their contract related to winning the Ballon d’Or? Some of the names will probably surprise you very much

In the case of football transfers, various bonuses and clauses upon reaching a certain milestone are quite common and increasingly practiced. Take a look at a selection of several footballers whose transfer includes a bonus in the event of winning the Ballon d’Or.

Clubs that buy players try to reduce the immediate payment as much as possible when negotiating. Thus, in the various agreements we have the opportunity to see quite common milestones, such as reaching a given number of games, goals or trophy wins.

For the selling side, it can be an advantage that if the bonuses are realistic and achievable, they can still make a decent sum after a certain period of time. The total amount of the transfer of a given player can thus be even higher in the final sum, as it is more profitable for the buying club to pay smaller amounts of money over a longer period of time than to pay the entire transfer immediately.

However, there are also milestones in the agreements that are very difficult to reach and in some cases look rather funny in hindsight. However, when a club sells its young idol, it is not surprising that, given the footballer’s potential, they believe in future success and thus include a clause in the contract that refers to Ballon d’or success.

Anthony Martial

The French footballer transferred to Manchester United for a sum of around 40 million euros. This amount could have risen to 60 million euros if all bonuses were met. Assuming the Ballon d’Or is won, the Red Devils should send just over 7 million euros to France.

However, with all due respect to Martial, it seems that this milestone is in the category of unachievable and thus the total amount will not be reached.

Neymar

In the case of the Brazilian star, this clause makes logical sense and it’s no surprise that it was part of the agreement between Barcelona and Santos. However, despite the immense talent he possessed and winning a large number of trophies, Neymar never succeeded in this poll.

The Catalans still had to pay out a few million, because in this case, all it took was for the Brazilian megastar to make it to the final three, and that’s exactly what happened in 2015.

Thiago Alcantara

The Spanish midfielder transferred to Liverpool in 2020 from German side Bayern Munich. His qualities are probably not up for debate, but it must have been clear to both parties involved that this clause was unlikely to be exercised.

At the time of his transfer, Thiago was already 30 years old and a miracle would have to happen for him to have a chance of success. On the other hand, if we look at Luka Modric’s career, nothing is impossible.

André Gomes

Yes, even one of Barcelona’s least successful purchases of recent years had this clause in his contract. He spent a total of a year and a half at the Camp Nou, during which time he certainly didn’t fulfil the potential he transferred with from Valencia.

The latter can thus be sad, as he could have cashed in 15 million euros if successful in the prestigious poll. Instead, his career has gone in the opposite direction and he is now defending the colours of Everton. He has been nursing an injury since the beginning of the summer.

For the Catalan club, at least the price tag at which they sold him to Everton can be a great consolation, which makes the loss from his transfer not astronomical.

Nicolò Zaniolo

The Italian midfielder transferred to Turkish side Galatasaray from AS Roma for a fixed €15 million plus €13 million in potential bonuses.

Some are related to Galatasaray’s progression to the Champions League eighth, quarter-finals and semi-finals. Others are payable the moment the Turkish side wins the Europa League or the Turkish Cup.

The agreement then includes an unspecified fee in case Zaniolo succeeds in the Ballon d’Or poll during this engagement.

Ángel Di María

Real Madrid received €75 million from the transfer of the Argentine midfielder to Manchester United, and he too had a €5 million Ballon d’Or winning bonus built into his contract.

However, his time at Old Trafford has not gone as expected. Di María, with the magic number seven on his back, played 32 games and after just one season he moved to the French capital, where he donned the PSG jersey.

Karim Benzema

Again, for a long time, it may have seemed like an unattainable milestone. The Frenchman was for many years in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo, who managed to win four Ballon d’Or during his time at the Santiago Bernabéu.

But then came the breakthrough season of 2021/2022 during which Real Madrid conquered the Champions League, the Spanish league and the Spanish Super Cup. Benzema himself contributed forty-four goals and fifteen assists.

After thirteen years, Lyon could thus enjoy an additional one million euros.

Source: Transfermarkt, Marca, SPORTbible, Mirror