By Samindra Kunti
April 12 – FC Barcelona’s Brazilian superstar Neymar, who has had assets seized in Brazil as part of a tax fraud case and whose transfer to Spain was one of the most controversial deals in world football, has had details of his contract released showing he receives a guaranteed salary of €45.9 million with his five-year contract at Barca. His buy-out clause is a massive €190 million.
The detail of his contract came out on the Football Leaks website. The 24-year old Brazilian forward moved to the Catalan giants from Brazilian club Santos in early June 2013. Neymar’s father was among the key negotiators in the five-year deal.
The exact machinations of the transfer have always been nebulous. In 2014 Spanish investigators began scouring the deal for anomalies. FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell resigned from his position as it transpired that the transfer had cost the club €86.2 million with Neymar’s parents getting a €40 million sum.
The leaked documents reveal that the Brazil international received an €8.5 million signing-on-bonus. Neymar annually earns €5 million as salary, but that’s topped up with various bonuses and other financial incentives, ensuring that the Brazilian has a guaranteed salary of €45.9 million during his time in Catalonia.
Neymar garners €637,500 each time Barcelona win La Liga, €850,000 for a Champions League victory and €850,000 for winning the Copa del Rey.
This season FC Barcelona are on course to win the treble: they lead the La Liga table, are in the final of the Spanish Cup and are on the brink of progressing to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Neymar would collect a €2.3 million bonus if his club succeeds on all three fronts.
The Brazilian has recently been linked with a move to the Paris capital to join PSG and replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is set to depart the French club at the end of the season. That’s an unlikely to happen though: Neymar has an astronomical buy-out clause of €190 million.
The contract also stipulates that FC Barcelona must release Neymar for friendlies and international tournaments with Brazil on FIFA dates, but that the Brazilian is not entitled to his full salary if he joins the Brazilian team on non-FIFA dates.
Recently, the Brazilian FA, the CBF, have been pressurising Barcelona to release their talismanic player for both the centenary Copa America and the Olympic Games this summer. Neymar has also expressed his desire to play at both tournaments, but Barcelona have rejected the idea. They want the Brazilian to participate in the club’s pre-season tours and commercial activities.
In a latest proposal the CBF have said they intend to use Neymar only sparingly at the Copa America. Brazil coach Dunga, who is under intense pressure after a series of disappointing results, has indicated that he will take an experimental squad to the Copa America. This summer the Seleção will focus on winning the Olympic gold medal, a feat they have not yet achieved.
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