Since the turn of the century, the entry of large quantities of money into football has had a long-term impact on the game’s economy. Transfer fees for players are currently at an all-time high, but weekly earnings are also at an all-time high. So we will share the Top 5 players.
Since PSG driven Neymar’s £198 million release clause in 2017 and took him away from Barcelona, teams have gone to tremendous lengths to prevent losing their top players to clubs with huge finances, resulting in some ridiculously high release clauses written into player contracts.
Through activating a player’s release clause is one of the most logical ways to secure that player’s services in the current scenario, it is highly unlikely that any club in the world would have the resources to activate the clauses of the five players we’ll be looking at in this article, who have the highest release clauses in the world right now.
Here are the Top 5
5. Lionel Messi – £630 million
It should come as no surprise that PSG superstar Lionel Messi makes it to our list. The Catalans are not incorrect to put their captain’s release clause at a record £630million since he is one of the best players. Isco, Marco Asensio, and Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid all have the same release clause as Messi.
It should be claimed that the sum does not represent a genuine assessment of the player, but rather an artificial figure set up by the club to comply with the French FA’s regulation requiring a required release clause in every player’s contract.
4. Brahim Diaz – £642.375 million
Brahim Diaz is without a doubt one of Europe’s top young prospects at the moment, which explains why Real Madrid paid Manchester City a sum of £15.5 million to sign the 20-year-old in January 2019. But now in AC Milan.
Despite the fact that they got their guy for what may be a steal in the future years, they have no intention of letting him leave the club on the cheap. In his contract, the club has included a hefty £642.375 million release clause.
The club appears to have overvalued the midfielder, who has struggled since joining Real Madrid and has yet to show himself on a greater stage as he had a great season with Milan winning the Seria A.
3. Luka Modric- £645.07 million
Luka Modric, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, has been a standout midfielder for both club and country in recent years. Though there is no disputing that he remains an important member of Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid club, an astronomical release clause of £645.07 million cannot be justified for a player who will be 35 this year.
Since going to Spain in the summer of 2012, Modric guided his club to triumph in La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and, most notably, the UEFA Champions League, where he played an essential part in their three straight victories.
Los Blancos are overhauling their team and have made significant investments in a younger crop of players, but it is their old guard that gets them through difficult games, so it is only logical that they are anxious to keep Modric, as seen by his insanely expensive release clause.
2. Antoine Griezmann – £688.08 million
Barcelona purchased Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid three years ago after exercising his £105 million release clause. They understandably want to preserve their substantial investment in the 2018 World Cup champion, therefore they have included a £677.2 million release clause in his five-year deal with the club. However, he has returned to Atletico on loan.
Griezmann, 31, is regarded as a future star by Atletico Madrid once he regains his form. As a result, they have gone to such lengths to ensure that their forward is out of reach for any team that could try to recruit him.
1. Karim Benzema – £859.70 million
Surprisingly, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema tops this list with the largest release clause in international football, with an eye-watering price of £859.70 million (or about €1 billion if you like round figures).
The 34-year-old has been with Los Blancos for nearly a decade and has established himself as one of the world’s most capable No.9s throughout that time. The club’s reliance on the Frenchman has grown over time, and after the departure of their all-time leading scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, he has stepped up to fill the vacuum.
Can we really blame Madrid for placing a massive release clause on their main source of goals?
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