Football isn’t just a game of goals and glory, it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry where contracts can be as dramatic as the action on the pitch. Over the years, clubs across the world have gone to astonishing lengths to secure the services of star players, offering mind-boggling salaries, massive signing bonuses, and sometimes even perks or clauses that seem straight out of fiction.

In this article, we take a deep dive into the 10 wildest football contracts ever signed worldwide, covering the most outrageous deals that shocked fans, changed markets, and, in some cases, pushed clubs to their financial limits. Let’s explore the deals that rewrote the rulebook of player earnings.

1. Lionel Messi - Barcelona (2017)

In November 2017 Messi signed a four-year extension with Barcelona that became the largest contract in sports history. Reports (via El Mundo) showed he’d earn a base of about €138 million per season (incl. variables), plus a €115.2M signing-on bonus and €77.9M loyalty bonus, potentially totaling €555.2M if all conditions were met. This was considered “the biggest contract in sports history”. In other words, Barcelona essentially bankrolled half a billion euros for a single player over four years.

Key terms: 4-year deal (2017 - 2021); €138M/yr (wages & variables), €115.2M sign-on bonus, €77.9M loyalty bonus.

Why wild: Totals up to €555M, more than any athlete ever. It nearly doubled Barcelona’s wage bill, drew widespread criticism for its size and for contributing to the club’s later financial crisis.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo - Al-Nassr (2023)

After leaving Manchester United in late 2022, Ronaldo signed a reportedly two-year extension with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr in mid-2025. Media reports (summarized by Hindustan Times and The Sun) state he’ll earn about £178 million per year in salary (roughly $225M/yr) plus a £24.5M signing bonus (rising to £38M in year two). In addition, he gets huge performance bonuses (e.g. £4M for Golden Boot, £8M if the club wins the title). Astonishingly, the deal also awarded him a 15% stake in the club (worth £33M), effectively making him a part-owner.

Key terms: £178M annual salary; £24.5M upfront (to rise to £38M) as signing-on; performance bonuses (golden boot/title); 15% ownership stake in Al-Nassr.

Why wild: This deal made Ronaldo the highest-paid athlete in the world. Combined with tax-free Saudi salaries and perks (private jets, personal staff, sponsorship deals) media have estimated its full value near $700M. The 15% club stake is an extremely unusual bonus in football.

3. Kylian Mbappé - Paris Saint-Germain (2022)

Mbappé stunned Europe by extending with PSG in May 2022 (despite Real Madrid interest). New York Times–cited reports (via Goal) indicate the 3-year deal will pay him around €630M total. His basic wage is about €6M per month after tax (= €72M/yr). The contract reportedly includes a €180M signing bonus (paid over 3 years, even if he left early) and a €70M loyalty bonus that increases yearly. Notably, it contains no performance bonuses, but it does give Mbappé an option to extend two more years (which only he can trigger).

Key terms: 3-year extension (2022 - 2025); €72M/yr net salary; €180M sign-on bonus; €70M loyalty bonus; option for +2 yrs under player’s control.

Why wild: At roughly €630M total ( = $681M), this short-term deal is one of football’s richest ever. It made Mbappé the undisputed highest earner at PSG and gave him extraordinary leverage, even influence over club matters (per press reports).

4. Neymar Jr. - Paris Saint-Germain (2017)

When Neymar moved from Barcelona to PSG in 2017, PSG paid a world-record €222M transfer fee. His initial contract (extended again in 2021) paid him roughly €36M per year (before bonuses). A FourFourTwo report later revealed an unusual clause: PSG could allow Neymar to exit for a “cut-price” €145M fee after three seasons(summer 2020). In practice, Neymar’s huge salary and bonuses dwarfed most peers, and the release clause was controversial because it was far below his market value at the time.

Key terms: Salaried €36M/yr (=£32M) (2021 extension); club paid €222M fee to Barcelona.

Unusual clause: Reportedly, he could be sold for €145M at the end of Year 3, far below the club’s record fee, a clause that raised eyebrows in the transfer market.

5. David Beckham - LA Galaxy (2007)

In 2007 Beckham signed a landmark five-year deal with MLS side LA Galaxy worth up to $250M (about £128M). His base salary was roughly $6.5M/year (he actually accepted a 70% pay cut from his Real Madrid pay), but the contract had unique revenue clauses. Per SportBible, Beckham negotiated a share of nearly all team revenue (merchandise, tickets, even stadium concessions) and an option to buy an MLS expansion franchise for $25M upon retirement. Thanks to booming MLS growth, those clauses greatly amplified his earnings (in total he made $255M from Galaxy tenure).

Key terms: 5-year contract (2007 - 2012) for up to $250M ($6.5M base/yr, plus massive revenue shares).

Notable clauses: Beckham secured a percentage of club revenues (from tickets, merch, food/beer, etc.). He also had the right to purchase an MLS expansion team at a fixed low price ($25M), a deal he later used to help found Inter Miami. These unusual provisions turned MLS’s growth into direct income for Beckham, making him one of the highest-paid players of his era.

6. Carlos Tevez - Shanghai Shenhua (2016)

In late 2016 the Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua stunned the football world by signing Carlos Tevez. Reports confirmed Shenhua agreed to pay Tevez a weekly wage of £615,000 (about $823K), making him the highest-paid footballer globally at that time. This equated to roughly $42 million per year. However, Tevez scored only 3 goals in 13 league games, leading critics to call the contract an “expensive mistake” (per The Guardian).

Key terms: 2-year deal (signed Dec 2016) at £615K/week ($823K/week).

Why wild: Tevez’s salary briefly topped the world charts, even before Neymar’s 2017 move. Chinese media and fans found it outrageous to pay such a sum for an aging star; Shenhua’s management publicly questioned if they got their money’s worth as Tevez underperformed despite the huge outlay.

7. Hulk - Shanghai SIPG (2016)

Brazilian striker Hulk was signed by Shanghai SIPG in June 2016 for a Chinese transfer record fee (£45M) and an equally eye-popping contract. The Guardian reported Shanghai would pay him about £320,000 per week (= £16.6M per year), which at the time made him one of the world’s top earners (9th-highest globally). His annual pay exceeded even Barcelona star Luis Suárez’s salary.

Key terms: 3-year contract from June 2016, earning £320K/week (£16.6M/yr).

Why wild: It wasn’t just the huge wage; the move symbolized Chinese clubs throwing vast sums at big names. At signing it leapfrogged Hulk into elite salary territory and demonstrated how CSL clubs were willing to pay far above European standards to attract top talent.

8. Axel Witsel - Tianjin Quanjian (2017)

In January 2017, Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel left Zenit St. Petersburg to join newly promoted Tianjin Quanjian. Irish outlet The42 reported Witsel agreed a five-year contract worth €20 million per year. In other words, Tianjin agreed to pay him €100M over five years just in base salary. Witsel’s move exemplified the Chinese league’s spending spree: he had been on Juventus’s radar but chose Tianjin’s money instead.

Key terms: 5-year deal (2017 - 2022) at €20M/yr.

Why wild: This salary placed him among football’s top earners overnight. Joining Oscar (Shanghai) and Tevez (Shenhua) in China that window, Witsel was essentially paid a massive signing bonus disguised as salary, one of the richest contracts ever at signing.

9. Paul Pogba - Manchester United (2016)

After a record €105M transfer fee from Juventus, Paul Pogba signed a five-year contract with Manchester United in August 2016. British media reported his weekly wage would be £275,000, roughly £14.3M per year. This put him in Man U’s highest-paid bracket alongside stars like Rooney and Ibrahimović. Although not a marquee “bonus-laden” deal like others on this list, Pogba’s contract was wild for its sheer size and timing (largest ever paid by a British club at that point).

Key terms: 5-year deal (2016 - 2021) at £275K/week (£14.3M/yr).

Why wild: The combination of a world-record transfer fee and huge wages made Pogba’s Man U move historically significant. Many pundits later labeled it among the club’s worst investments when Pogba underperformed, underscoring how outrageous the outlay seemed in hindsight.

10. Oscar - Shanghai SIPG (2017)

Brazilian midfielder Oscar joined Shanghai SIPG in January 2017 on a five-year contract after leaving Chelsea. Sports Illustrated notes that Oscar “eventually inked a deal which saw him take home $25M annually” (quadrupling his previous salary). Like Hulk and Witsel, Oscar’s move symbolized the flood of cash into the Chinese Super League. At the time, $25M per year was among the highest salaries in the sport.

Key terms: 5-year contract (2017–2022) at $25M/year.

Why wild: This salary made Oscar one of the world’s top-paid players immediately upon moving. Although more modest than Tevez or Hulk, it was still unprecedented for a midfielder. His move highlighted how CSL clubs could outbid even top European clubs, a remarkable shift in the football economy.