Samuel Eto'o wanted to be flown 1,200 MILES to training in Russia, Giuseppe Reina demanded a new house every year (...but got them as LEGO!) and Ronaldinho needed time to party - 10 outrageous contract demands after Lionel Messi's extravagant requests

If you don't ask, you don't get.

That certainly seemed to be the mindset Lionel Messi had when he went to renegotiate his contract with Barcelona in 2020. 

Details of his demands were leaked to the public by the Spanish media on Tuesday night, with it being revealed that the Argentine star wanted the Catalan giants to provide his and Luis Suarez's family with executive boxes at the Nou Camp.

Lionel Messi made some extravagant demands during his negotiations with Barcelona in 2020

Lionel Messi made some extravagant demands during his negotiations with Barcelona in 2020

That was not all, as Messi also demanded an £8.7m signing-on fee, a 10 per cent salary increase in 2021-22 and 2022-23 with three per cent annual interest, and a private jet to fly his family to and from Argentina every Christmas.


To cap it all off, he wanted the club to lower his buyout clause from £610m to just £8,700.

Barcelona agreed to all but two of Messi's demands - they were unwilling to lower his buyout clause to £8,700, and they wanted to make his signing-on bonus conditional on whether the club's income returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Messi subsequently walked away from the renewal discussions, and informed the club of his desire to leave. He ended up staying that summer, but left to join PSG the following year.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is far from the only footballer to push his luck at the negotiating table, though. In fact, attempting to put in bizarre clauses is far more common than some may think.

In light of Messi's requests being revealed, Sportsmail has drawn up a list of 10 of the most outrageous contract demands by footballers over the years.

 

Giuseppe Reina

Reina arrived at German side Arminia Bielefeld in 1996, but only agreed to sign on the dotted line if the club agreed to build him a new house for every year that he stayed with them.

He would quickly find out that the devil is in the detail. Reina did not stipulate the size or type of house that he wanted, which Arminia used to their advantage as they sent him a house made of Lego each year.

Reina would end up staying at the club for three years before leaving to join Borussia Dortmund in 1999.

Giuseppe Reina wanted a new house for every year he was at Arminia Bielefeld, but ended up getting a Lego house each year

Giuseppe Reina wanted a new house for every year he was at Arminia Bielefeld, but ended up getting a Lego house each year

 

Samuel Eto'o

Eto'o was one of European football's deadliest strikers in the 2000s, so it was a major coup for Anzhi Makhachkala when they signed him in 2011. He just had one small problem he needed to solve - he didn't want to live in Dagestan where the team are based.

As a result, he told the club he wanted a private jet to allow him to fly to Moscow and live there.

This meant that he needed to be flown 1,200 miles just to train with his team-mates, but Anzhi agreed to his demand, and kept hold of Eto'o for two years.

Samuel Eto'o had to be flown to training at Anzhi Makhachkala so he could live in Moscow

Samuel Eto'o had to be flown to training at Anzhi Makhachkala so he could live in Moscow

 

Keisuke Honda

The former AC Milan midfielder decided to try his luck in Brazil in 2020 when he agreed to sign for Botafogo.

The deal was far from straightforward, though, as Honda told the club that he wanted an armoured, bulletproof vehicle and extra security guards for when he was travelling in Rio de Janeiro.

His request was met, but Honda only ended up playing 27 games for Botafogo prior to being released. 

Keisuke Honda wanted a bulletproof vehicle and extra security during his time at Botafogo

Keisuke Honda wanted a bulletproof vehicle and extra security during his time at Botafogo

 

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho lit up European football during his prime, winning the Ballon d'Or and Champions League during his time at Barcelona.

He opted to return to his homeland to play for Flamengo in 2011, but he was clearly keen to ensure that he had enough down time to do his own thing away from the pitch.

He ordered the Brazilian outfit to insert a clause in his contract that permitted him to party twice a week. They obliged, and Ronaldinho continued to deliver when he played, scoring 19 goals in 44 appearances for the team.

Ronaldinho demanded that he was given two nights a week to party while he was at Flamengo

Ronaldinho demanded that he was given two nights a week to party while he was at Flamengo

 

Rolf-Christel Guie-Mien

The Congolese midfielder completed his move from Karlsruher to Eintracht Frankfurt in 1999, but only agreed to the transfer once he had a certain stipulation put in his contract.

Guie-Mien was clearly not a dab hand in the kitchen, and demanded that his new club pay for his wife to have cooking lessons.

Eintracht agreed to his strange request, and Guie-Mien went on to have the most successful spell of his career at the club, netting 19 goals in 95 matches. 

Rolf-Christel Guie-Mien got Eintracht Frankfurt to pay for his wife's cooking lessons

Rolf-Christel Guie-Mien got Eintracht Frankfurt to pay for his wife's cooking lessons

 

Paul Gascoigne

Gascoigne was arguably the hottest prospect in British football in the late 80s, and he was not short of options as Manchester United and Tottenham chased his signature.

It was the latter club that managed to persuade him to join them, but they had to push the boat out to get a deal over the line.

Known for his 'cheeky-chappy' personality, Gascoigne told Spurs that he wanted them to buy his dad a new house and a new car, while also sorting his sister out with a sunbed.

The north London club decided they could not afford to miss out on signing the mercurial talent, and agreed to Gascoigne's demands.

Paul Gascoigne persuaded Tottenham to buy his dad a car and a house, and his sister a sunbed

Paul Gascoigne persuaded Tottenham to buy his dad a car and a house, and his sister a sunbed

 

Moise Kean

Kean came through Juventus' academy, and burst onto the scene as a teenager.

Contract negotiations followed, and his father Biorou told the Italian giants that he wanted them to buy him a fleet of tractors for his farm in the Ivory Coast or he would get his son to run down his contract and leave on a free transfer.

It has been reported that Juventus initially agreed to Biorou's demands, but then negotiated a different deal with the player himself that didn't involve tractors.

Juventus would go on to sell Kean for £27.5m to Everton in 2019, but have since re-signed him on a two-year loan deal that is set to be made permanent in 2024.

Moise Kean's father wanted Juventus to pay for a fleet of tractors in order for his son to sign

Moise Kean's father wanted Juventus to pay for a fleet of tractors in order for his son to sign

 

Neymar

Neymar joined Barcelona as a 21-year-old and was billed as the next Brazilian superstar to come to Europe to follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

He was clearly aware of his pulling power at such a young age, and he wanted to insert a clause in his contract that meant he would have his friends from Brazil flown over every two months, with Barcelona footing the bill for the flights.

At the time, Barcelona were trying to fight off arch-rivals Real Madrid for his signature, so it is not a major surprise that they were happy to go along with Neymar's request. 

Barcelona agreed to fly Neymar's friends over from Brazil every two months when he joined

Barcelona agreed to fly Neymar's friends over from Brazil every two months when he joined 

 

Emmanuel Adebayor

The former Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham striker looked set to join Lyon in 2016, with the deal close to being completed.

However, Adebayor then asked for a mansion overlooking Corsica, a helicopter and a private chef. He also wanted to take Alexandre Lacazette's No 10 shirt.

Lyon were unwilling to agree to this, and the move fell through as he went on to join Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir the following year. 

Emmanuel Adebayor wanted a mansion overlooking Corsica to join Lyon, but the club refused

Emmanuel Adebayor wanted a mansion overlooking Corsica to join Lyon, but the club refused

 

Mauro Icardi

Most players would try to push for one or two quirky demands to avoid the risk of putting a club off from signing them. Then you have Mauro Icardi, whose wife and agent Wanda Nara made no fewer than six demands before the striker agreed to move to Galatasaray earlier this month.

These six demands included ensuring that Icardi had a 24-hour driver on hand, a personal chef and a house with private security.

Nara also wanted a hotel to stay in until December and schools for her children to attend during their stay in Turkey.

Icardi's move is only on a season-long loan, but Galatasaray decided this was not too much hassle and still went ahead with the deal. 

Mauro Icardi joined Galatasaray, but only after they agreed to his wife's six demands

Mauro Icardi joined Galatasaray, but only after they agreed to his wife's six demands

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