Football Leaks has released details of the most controversial contract in football – the deal between Neymar and Barcelona.
Given all the controversy and litigation that has surrounded the Brazilian’s deal with Barcelona, the 12-page document sheds some light on the groundbreaking transfer.
Neymar received an €8.5m signing bonus when he signed the contract in 2013 and his release clause is set at a mouth-watering €190m.
There was talk that before the deal was completed that Neymar and this father has sign a pre-contract deal with Barcelona, but the agreement makes it clear that no pre-contract existed between the parties. However conspiracy theorists will wonder if that was the case, why is there a clause that states that Neymar must destroy any previously signed documents within the space of ten days?
But probably the most surprisingly aspect of the deal is how incentive laded it is. If Neymar had failed to live up to expectations, the Spanish club would have been on the hook for a relatively small amount of money.
Base Salary: Neymar’s base salary is €5m a year gross, about a quarter of what Lionel Messi gets paid.
Playing Incentives: If Neymar features in 60% of the games, of which he must play at least 45 minutes. For hitting this target, the Barça number 11 receives a bonus of €1,062,000. If he is named in the matchday squad 60% of the time he earns an additional €100,000 per season.
Team Trophies: The contract also includes an incentive to win trophies: €637,000 for La Liga, €850,000 for the Champions League. A league and Cup double is worth €850,000, while a Copa del Rey and Champions League win is valued at €1,062,000. Winning La Liga and the Champions League comes with a €1,487,500 bonus and the Treble (which the team won last season) is worth €1,700,000.
Remarkably Neymar get a €637,000 bonus if Barca qualify for the champions League and another €425,000 if they make it to the knockout stage of the competition.
Individual Trophies: Should he win the Ballon d’Or during his first five seasons in Spain he will earn a €425,000 bonus.
While a lot of focus is on Neymar’s low €5m base salary, when you add in all the incentives he hit last season as Barca won the treble, I estimate that he made an additional €3.924m in bonuses bringing his income to €8.924m.
Neymar has two years left on his current deal, and Barcelona have been trying for months to reach an agreement with his father on a new contract.
The challenge for the Spanish side is that Neymar is under-paid. His €8.924m ages + bonuses are still less than half of what Wayne Rooney made last season at Manchester United. Neymar want a new deal with a larger base salary and lower incentives.
The question is whether Barcelona can afford that? The MSN is the best attacking trio in football and at some point they will want to be paid as one of the best three players in the world.
Messi is already the highest paid player in the world, and I don’t think they can afford tho make Neymar the second highest. Which is why Neymar’s father keeps dropping hints about a move to PSG or Manchester United, who have the deep pockets to satisfy Neymar’s wage demands.
