How come star players rarely go on free transfers?

[pc4th]

Only a few star players ever went on free transfer. David Beckham and Ballack came to mind. By going on a free transfer, Ballack got around $16-18 million signing-on fee (high 7 figures pound figure). Imagine the signing-on fee that CRonaldo, Kaka, Messi would get as free agents.

[comme]

Are there not enough of these threads already?

This issue has been gone over so many times that it is getting ridiculous. Change the record.

[pc4th]

Here are some reasons in my opinion:

1) signing a contract extension mean higher salary. For example, $8 mil from 2005-2008. Contract extension in 2007, means $10 mil salary from 2007 to 2010. Two years (2007 and 2008) of $8 mil is replaced with higher salary of $10 mil. Better off by $4 mil.

2) Teams would bench players for refusing to sign a contract extension. Happened with several well-known players.

3) Risk of injury while waiting out the contract.

4) Loyalty to the club.

I would guess that about 30% of 'average' players do go on free transfers but only around 3% of star players do. In American sports (NBA, NFL, NHL, NFL) star players go on free transfers most of the time. In soccer, star players rarely do. Why is it so rare?

Player transfer fee tends to decrease when you have like 1 year left on your contract. A player with 2-3 years left on his contract would be worth $50 mil would only be worth $25 mil with only 1 year of his contract left. Where does the other $25 mil go?

[lanman]

I would guess that about 30% of 'average' players do go on free transfers but only around 3% of star players do. Why is it so rare?

Probably because star players are a more valuable player than Mr Average. Clubs aren't generally going to let a valuable asset walk, but are not overly concerned with someone easily replaceable.

[guado]

Only a few star players ever went on free transfer. David Beckham and Ballack came to mind. By going on a free transfer, Ballack got around $16-18 million signing-on fee (high 7 figures pound figure). Imagine the signing-on fee that CRonaldo, Kaka, Messi would get as free agents.

shut up already.

[impalemeplz]

i am pretty sure henry almost did, to barca, at the very peak of his powers but then he resigned for 4 more years to arsenal to only leave for barca, after a horrible season, the next summer. of course arsenal ended up getting 16 million pounds for him as opposed to nothing.

[ChelseaForTheCup(s)]

i am pretty sure henry almost did, to barca, at the very peak of his powers but then he resigned for 4 more years to arsenal to only leave for barca, after a horrible season, the next summer. of course arsenal ended up getting 16 million pounds for him as opposed to nothing.

Well, you're dumb.

[pc4th]

i am pretty sure henry almost did, to barca, at the very peak of his powers but then he resigned for 4 more years to arsenal to only leave for barca, after a horrible season, the next summer. of course arsenal ended up getting 16 million pounds for him as opposed to nothing.

Henry got a $10 million signing-on fee for extending his contract with Arsenal. Arsenal sold him for $30 mil a year later.

Arsenal profit: $20 mil. If Henry play out his last year contract and leave on a free, Arsenal would have got nothing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/apr/18/sport.comment
Henry 'paid up to £10m' in last Arsenal season

Thierry Henry received a seven-figure signing-on fee in his final season at Arsenal that financial analysis of the club's accounts estimates to have been as high as £5m. The Arsenal Supporters Trust has conducted a review of the amortisation and player-registration costs in the club's six-monthly accounts to last November. That analysis points to the existence of a substantial one-off sum having been paid in 2006.

If the trust's calculations on the extraordinary item are correct, the former Arsenal captain picked up more than £10m in wages and fees in his last season with the club. That would make him considerably the highest-earning player in a single season in the history of English football, a campaign in which he made 17 Premier League appearances.

Henry had been vacillating about whether to remain at the club after its departure from Highbury. So the fact that the seven-figure signing-on fee was made up front and not over the course of his three-year contract is likely to have influenced his decision to stay, made on the eve of Arsenal's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.

Twelve months later, though, Henry made the switch to Camp Nou.

Peter Crouch (not a star player) has 1 year left on his contract. We'll see if he will be a free agent or not.

If Henry got $10 mil signing-on fee for extending his contract, a free transfer CRonaldo/Kaka/Messi could get up to $50 million signing-on fee.

Any team would love to sign CRonaldo/Kaka/Messi for only $100 mil over 5 years ($10 mil salary + $50 mil signing-on fee). For comparision sake, Chelsea paid around $100-110 million to get Schevenko ($60 mil transfer fee + $10 mil salary).

[Placid Casual]

Only a few star players ever went on free transfer. David Beckham and Ballack came to mind. By going on a free transfer, Ballack got around $16-18 million signing-on fee (high 7 figures pound figure). Imagine the signing-on fee that CRonaldo, Kaka, Messi would get as free agents.

The star players all got together and decided that they wouldn't leave on a free transfer so that you have a reason to live.

[pc4th]

Flamini is not a star player is he?

He went on a free from Arsenal to AC Milan. Got a huge raise and a huge signing-on fee because he cost AC Milan $0 instead of something like $15 mil in transfer fee.

One of these days, a star player like Cronaldo, Kaka, Messi will go on a free transfer in their prime.

[johno]

Can we just give this guy his own subforum?

One for him and one for the other idiot with the recurring poll comparing different teams from different eras. There have got to be enough threads for each of them to have a sub forum.

[pc4th]

Many Premiership players (108 of them) could go on a free transfer this summer.

http://www.mcalcio.com/expiring-contract-soccer-players-2009/

The rules in the free transfers game are simple mathematics: whatever the market value of the player may be, it’s multiplied by zero. And poof! The transfer cost disappears, leaving only the player’s wage to worry about.

It’s a game of numbers: 488 players with expiring contracts in July, 62 in Italy, 108 in England, 79 in Spain, 89 in Germany, and 150 in France. And we’ve taken a close look at 122 of them.

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm279/mCalcio/2009_Free_Transfers/FT2009_inghilterra.jpg

I wouldn't be surprised of C Ronaldo, Messi or Kaka getting a $50 mil signing-on fee as free agents. If I'm Man City, I would love to pay Kaka $100 mil signing-on fee instead of paying AC Milan $160 million transfer fee.

[pc4th]

Probably because star players are a more valuable player than Mr Average. Clubs aren't generally going to let a valuable asset walk, but are not overly concerned with someone easily replaceable.

Of course the teams want their star players to extend the contract. But they can't force a player like CRonaldo, Kaka, Messi to extend the contract if the player don't want to. The player can play out the contract and get a big juicy signing-on fee.

Look at Tevez. He's a free agent in 6 months and his agent is asking for about 25 million pounds (about $40 mil) signing-on fee. That signing-on fee will go to MSI, the company that own his economic rights. Since CRonaldo, Kaka, Messi own their economic rights (not a third party) as free agents, they will get the signing-on fee.

There is talk that CRonaldo could buy out his contract with Man Utd in summer 2010 for about 12 million pounds. On a free, any clubs would love to sign him for $60-70 mil signing-on fee.

Look at the Yankees who signed these 3 free agents:

Mark Teixeira (8 years, $180 million), CC Sabathia (7 years,$161mil), AJ Burnett (5 years,$82.5mil)

What would Teixeira and Sabathia contract be like if the Yankees has to pay $50 mil transfer fee for each of them?

Boston paid $51 mil posting fee (transfer fee) to a club in Japan. Dice K got about $8 mil a year salary even though as a free agent, he could get about $14 mil a year. Why? Because if Boston pay $0 in transfer fee, they would have an extra $51 mil to spend.

[lanman]

Look at Tevez. He's a free agent in 6 months and his agent is asking for about 25 million pounds (about $40 mil) signing-on fee.

Tevez isn't a free agent as Ballack was when he joined Chelsea. His economic rights are owned by MSI and they will pocket a huge transfer fee when he signs again. Tevez will see no more money than any other player involved in a big money move.

[lanman]

Look at the Yankees who signed these 3 free agents:

Football is not baseball. You cannot compare the movement of labour between the two.

[pc4th]

Tevez isn't a free agent as Ballack was when he joined Chelsea. His economic rights are owned by MSI and they will pocket a huge transfer fee when he signs again. Tevez will see no more money than any other player involved in a big money move.

Isn't that what I said? He's owned by MSI. His signing-on fee will go to them.

But he's a free agent since he is out of a contract in July 2009.

[pc4th]

Football is not baseball. You cannot compare the movement of labour between the two.

If CRonaldo, Kaka, Messi are free agents in 6 months, their earnings would dwarf those that signed by the Yankees.

The big clubs would love to sign any of the three players for $60 mil signing-on fee plus $15 mil a year salary. Just play out their contract and don't sign any contract extension. If Ballack did it, I'm sure they can too. A club can't force a player to sign a contract extension.

NY Yankees has the money but last time I check, a few top soccer clubs have even more.

$60 mil signing-on fee + 15 mil a year over 3 years would mean each player could earn $35 mil a year over 3 years.

Look at the Tevez situation. $40 mil signing-on fee + 12 mil salary a year mean he could earns $25 mil a year. Too bad MSI owns his economic rights.


Here are some notable free transfers.

http://www.onthisfootballday.com/2007_12_14/december-13-%E2%80%93-bosman-rules-ok.php

As Bosman himself was no good, we don’t have any footage of him blasting thirty yard overhead kicks in the top corner, so we’ll leave you with our ‘Bosman XI’. If you think we’ve got it wrong tell us below and come back tomorrow for more of the same.

GK - Brad Friedel (Liverpool to Blackburn, 2000)

LB - Bixente Lizarazu (Bayern Munich to Marseille, 2004)
RB - Markus Babbel (Bayern Munich to Liverpool, 2000)
CB - Sol Campbell (C) (Spurs to Arsenal, 2001)
CB - Sylvain Distin (Man City to Pompey, 2007)

CM - Gary McAllister (Coventry to Liverpool, 2000)
CM - Jamie Redknapp (Liverpool to Spurs, 2002)
RM - Andrei Kanchelskis (Rangers to Southampton, 2003)
LM - Paul Merson (Villa to Pompey, 2002)

S - Henrik Larsson (Celtic to Barcelona, 2004)
S - Teddy Sheringham (Man Utd to Spurs to Pompey to West Ham to Colchester, 2001-2007 - king of the Bosman?)


Steve McManaman is another famous free agent.

[leg_breaker]

Are there not enough of these threads already?

He's only posted about fifty.

This issue has been gone over so many times that it is getting ridiculous. Change the record.

Don't be so insensitive, OCD is a serious condition.

[RichardL]

As Bosman himself was no good, we don’t have any footage of him blasting thirty yard overhead kicks in the top corner, so we’ll leave you with our ‘Bosman XI’. If you think we’ve got it wrong tell us below and come back tomorrow for more of the same.

GK - Brad Friedel (Liverpool to Blackburn, 2000)

LB - Bixente Lizarazu (Bayern Munich to Marseille, 2004)
RB - Markus Babbel (Bayern Munich to Liverpool, 2000)
CB - Sol Campbell (C) (Spurs to Arsenal, 2001)
CB - Sylvain Distin (Man City to Pompey, 2007)

CM - Gary McAllister (Coventry to Liverpool, 2000)
CM - Jamie Redknapp (Liverpool to Spurs, 2002)
RM - Andrei Kanchelskis (Rangers to Southampton, 2003)
LM - Paul Merson (Villa to Pompey, 2002)

S - Henrik Larsson (Celtic to Barcelona, 2004)
S - Teddy Sheringham (Man Utd to Spurs to Pompey to West Ham to Colchester, 2001-2007 - king of the Bosman?)


Steve McManaman is another famous free agent.
How many of those players got paid a salary hugely higher as a result?

[soccerfan80]

star players are of too much value to the club for them to lend them to another club.