Contract clauses are becoming more commonplace in the world of football, allowing players to cash in on hefty bonuses for meeting targets - but there have been some incredibly odd ones over the years
Liverpool's Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool
Roberto Firmino couldn't sign for Arsenal
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Image: PA)
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From Roberto Firmino's ban on signing for Arsenal, to Ronaldinho being able to party twice a week - there have been some wild football contract clauses over the years.
While it is a legal requirement for Spanish clubs to insert a release clause into each and every player's contract, other clubs worldwide have utilised written terms and agreements to sweeten deals when acquiring highly touted players. And while some of the more frequent terms include hefty bonuses for winning titles, scoring goals or making appearances, others are less orthodox and quite frankly, downright strange.
Here, Mirror Football explores ten of the strangest contract clauses ever brought into existence by high-profile footballers and their respective clubs, explaining exactly what can be the make or break factor in agreeing a deal.
Roberto Firmino banned from playing for Arsenal
Arsenal crossed a line back in 2013 when they attempted to pry Luis Suarez from Anfield for £40million and one pound, after misreading his release clause with the club. The bid conjured a shocked admission from Liverpool owner John W. Henry, who took to social media to write: "What do you think they're smoking over there at the Emirates?"
While Suarez did part ways with Liverpool in 2014 to sign for Barcelona, the Reds brought Roberto Firmino on board as a sure-fire replacement. And determined not to see another repeat of the Suarez saga, the club wrote into his contract an agreement that any club in the world was able to trigger his £89million release clause... except Arsenal.
Suarez banned from Old Trafford
Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal with a penalty kick during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Deportivo Alaves at Camp Nou
Luis Suarez signed for Barcelona in 2014 ( Image: Getty Images)
When he arrived in Barcelona, it is reported that Suarez had a clause written into his contract that prevented Manchester United from signing him on a free, even upon the expiration of his contract at Camp Nou.
Of course, the Red Devils were not the only club to suffer the consequence of the clause, with Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid also barred from signing the player. Suarez has since gone on to represent Atletico Madrid, Nacional, Gremio, and Inter Miami.
A premium for Barcelona
Speaking of Barcelona, Liverpool made a massive £142m when they sold Phillipe Coutinho to the club in 2018 - receiving a large wedge of this up front while the rest was paid in performance-related instalments. However, money was not the only thing the Reds snagged from the deal.
Negotiations meant that Barcelona wouldn't be able to snap up any Liverpool talents for the next three seasons without paying a massive premium of £89m plus the standard transfer fee for the player they hoped to sign. Liverpool fended off Barcelona with the deal, successfully warding them away from signing any top-class talents they possessed at the time.
Ronaldinho's party will not be pooped
When Ronaldinho joined Flamengo from AC Milan in 2011, the footballing legend somehow managed to swindle a clause allowing him to go clubbing at least twice per week. It seems as though his love of a good knees-up didn't affect his ball game too much, with him scoring 20 goals and providing 15 assists in 49 games for the Brazilian outfit.
Ronaldinho had a strange party clause (
Image:
Getty Images)
A strange game-time agreement for Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain reportedly had an incredibly strange clause written into his Arsenal contract, with Alan Gernon explaining in his book, The Transfer Market: The Inside Stories: "Following Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's move to Arsenal in 2011, Gunners fans became increasingly frustrated with the midfielder's lack of playing time.
"He was predominantly used as a substitute, often around the 71-minute mark. After his contract details emerged, it all became clear: Arsenal were obliged to pay Southampton £10,000 every time he played 20 minutes or more."
Razor Ruddock's weight
When Neil Ruddock arrived at Crystal Palace from West Ham in a free transfer in 2000, then Eagles chairman Simon Jordan inserted a clause into his contract based on advice provided by then Hammers head Harry Redknapp. The clause explained that Ruddock had to remain at a 'recommended weight' of 99.8kg (15.7 stone), and if he eclipsed this, he would be fined.
In his autobiography, Jordan claimed: "On approaching West Ham I discovered he was a free transfer, although he did have a weighty salary – which was not the only weighty thing about him. Harry Redknapp, the West Ham manager at the time, told me to put in a weight clause.
"So I decided to put a 10 per cent penalty on the contract we were proposing to offer him if he was over the recommended weight of 99.8kg, which by the way was still frigging huge." It is said that Ruddock was apparently hit with no less than eight fines during his time with the Eagles.
Stefan Schwarz's space dreams
When Stefan Schwarz signed for Sunderland on a four-year deal from Valencia in 1999 worth £4m, small print in his contract read: "Space travel would see the contract terminated."
Explaining the decision, chief executive of the Black Cats at the time, John Fickling, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "One of Schwarz's advisers has, indeed, got one of the places on the commercial flights.
"And we were worried that he may wish to take Stefan along with him. So we thought we'd better get things tied up now rather than at the time of the flight. It was a reasonable request. We would normally get insurance cover for the player throughout the length of his contract.
"And like a lot of insurance policies, there are certain exclusions, such as dangerous activities. At the end of the day, we are protecting the club, really. It was a little bit of a light-hearted moment during protracted negotiations. But one day it could become be quite acceptable to put such clauses in various contracts." At the time of writing, the now 55-year-old has still never been to space... yet.
Stefan Schwarz was prohibited from leaving Planet Earth
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Image:
Evening Gazette) Don't Miss
Cooking lessons
When Rolf-Christel Guie-Mien arrived at Eintracht Frankfurt in 1999, the midfielder is said to have demanded that the club include a clause in his contract that would see them pay for his wife to have cooking lessons, as he was dissatisfied with her culinary skills.
No skiing for Stig Inge Bjornebye
Meanwhile, Stig Inge Bjornebye found himself banned from skiing when he signed for Liverpool in 1992 in a bid to prevent the left-back from injuring himself on the slopes away from Anfield. Bjornebye was a keen skier when growing up in Norway, thanks to his father's career in the sport.
Jo Inge competed in both the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble and the 1972 Winter Games in Japan. It's a good job that England isn't known for the piste, meaning that the footballer didn't miss out too much during his time on Merseyside.
Spencer Prior's sheep testicle conundrum
When Spencer Prior arrived in Cardiff from Manchester City in 2001, a truly bizarre clause was inserted into his contract, which required him to have a "physical liaison with a sheep and eat sheep's testicles". Then Cardiff chairman, Sam Hammam, jokingly said at the time: "It's simple. With Spencer being non-Welsh, he needs to prove to the people of Wales that he understands the place - then he can become a true leader."
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