How a Clever Clause Saved Millions…
In 2015, Manchester United broke the bank to sign teenage whiz Anthony Martial for an audacious £36 million, a sum so large it could have bought Old Trafford a new roof. The deal was poised to inflate to a whopping £57.6 million, like a soufflé in an oven. Martial, dubbed the next Thierry Henry, had fans dreaming of the Sir Alex Ferguson glory days. He wowed spectators with his debut goal and went on to score 11 league goals in his first season, although he did not quite morph into the dazzling star hoped for at United.
Thankfully, a stroke of contractual genius saved United a cool £7.2 million, thanks to a clause linked to the elusive Ballon d’Or nomination. It’s like they were paying extra for an oyster that never spat out a pearl! Martial’s tenure saw him score 90 times in 317 matches before he left the Red Devils in 2024. Now kicking goals at AEK Athens, Martial dodged his place among the elite, allowing United to avoid shelling out Monaco’s whole hefty payout. Van Gaal’s infamous quip about the ‘ridiculous’ price looks less bonkers with hindsight.
