Neymar had a bizarre clause in his PSG contract that earned him €200,000, it has been claimed.
Neymar, 32, played for the Parisians between 2017 and 2023 following his departure from Barcelona.
In his 173 matches for the French giants, he scored 118 goals and won 13 trophies, including five Ligue 1 crowns.
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The Brazilian, who now plays for Saudi Arabia-based side Al Hilal, was one the highest-paid players in the world, and his reported £198m transfer to PSG smashed the previous world record.
His wages in the French capital were thought to be around €36m (£30m) per season, according to Footmercato in 2021.
Neymar’s salary during the 2022-23 season accounted for 15.33 percent of the club’s payroll, according to Capology.
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So, you may be thinking what the ‘clause’ in his PSG contract was.
“The maddest clause I’ve heard is Neymar at PSG!” explained former Crystal Palace youngster Lewis Bryon when speaking on the ‘Ball Talk’ podcast.
“On a coaching course, I was with a member of PSG’s club staff. He said that Neymar has a clause in his contract that every time that he went over and clapped the fans after a match, he got a €200,000 bonus!”
The numbers mentioned have not been confirmed by PSG or any official bodies at this point.
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Although clapping the fans after a game is the least a footballer can do, this is not always the case after poor performances.
But it was seemingly not just Neymar who had a bizarre ‘clause’ in his deal.
In 2021, Football Leaks [via Marca] revealed that it was not only applauding fans but also being “punctual”, “courteous”, and “friendly” was considered.
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The Spanish outlet reported that they were contacted by “legal sources” that “confirmed” that all players were subject to the same code of conduct, which they say was confirmed by PSG.
The outlet also suggests that any money held went to the club’s charity, the PSG foundation.
It is also thought part of the reason for such clauses was to protect the public reputation of the club and to deter players from speaking negatively about the club in public.
Luke Davies