There are those who signed the agreements for a life sentence.
When Nico Williams extended the contract with Atletic for ten years, many were surprised not only by the fact that Winger refused to move to Barcelona, but also such a long period of his new deal. I immediately remembered Chelsea with their incredible entertainment in the form of signing contracts for many years to smear the transfer value in order not to violate financial rules. It seems that Londoners have established such a fashion. However, we delved into the longest contracts in modern football history, and some data surprised us. The “blue” here is far from the pioneers and is not unique at all. Let’s look at the most striking examples.
Oyan Sanset and Dani Vivian (athletic) – 8 years old
Opens our particular top just “athletics”. It turns out that Basques love to offer long-term deals. This can be explained by the fact that the market scope for them is very limited, as the transfer policy allows us to sign only football players associated with the Basque country. Sanset and Vivian play an important role in the Ernesto Valverde team, they helped it get to the Champions League for the next season. Their contracts are valid until 2032.
Cesk Fabregas (Arsenal) – 8 years old
In 2006, Fabregas signed a contract with the “Gunners” for eight years. Arsen Wenger then really wanted to build his team around a young Spanish playmaker, so he hung on to him by a dead hand. Then Fabregas was 19 years old. As a result, he spent five years at Arsenal, and in 2011 he moved to Barcelona. However, he was no longer successful.
Mikhail Mudrik (Chelsea) – 8.5 years
Okay, again, Chelsea stands out. If we’re talking about the longest contracts currently in force, nine out of twelve are with the Londoners. The Ukrainian winger is one of the prime examples. He left Shakhtar in January 2023 for €70 million with a €30 million bonus. They say there was an option to move to Arsenal, but it was a long contract with good terms that lured him to Chelsea. Mudrik failed to establish himself in the lineup, and was then repeatedly sidelined due to drug test issues.
Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Nicholas Jackson (Chelsea) – 9 years
Currently, Chelsea players with contracts of seven years or more are listed as Pedru, Renata Weiga, Moycez Kaissedo, Philip Jorgensen, Aaron Anselmino, and the aforementioned Trinity (besides Mudrik). Chelsea made a major effort to land Palmer from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. As a result, a seven-year contract was agreed. Cole quickly became one of Chelsea’s key stars, scoring 25 goals in his first season. The Londoners therefore rushed to extend his contract for another two years, increasing the number of years to nine.
And Fernandes impressed everyone with a performance for the Argentina national team at the 2022 World Cup. Chelsea made him the most expensive player in British football history, paying €121 million and offering a contract until 2031. At first, Enzo wasn’t impressive at Stamford Bridge, but things gradually improved. The same was true for Jackson, who began to score more goals. He also managed to extend his long playing contract after his move from Villarreal. During his time at Barcelona, Messi signed nine different contracts. The longest, however, was the nine-year contract he signed in 2005, a few months after he had made his way into the first team. It was then extended in 2014, during which time Lionel doubled his salary.Saul Nyiges, Coca (“Atletico”) – 9 years
Having become one of the key players in midfield, Saul extended a major contract with Atletico in 2017 to nine years. However, he soon fell out with head coach Diego Simeon, and Saul was loaned to Chelsea for the 2021/22 season, where he failed to shine. Last season, Niges played for Sevilla, where he finished 17th in the league. The relationship with Atletico has grown considerably more successful under Koke, who has repeatedly extended his current contract, earning a total of nine years. The deal currently runs until 2026. Last season, the 33-year-old midfielder captained Atletico to 39 matches.
Injaca Williams (Athletic) – 9 years
Yes, Athletic again. And Williams again. But now brother Nico. Williams senior signed his nine-year contract with the Bilbao club in 2019. In fact, he agreed to spend his entire career with his hometown team. Because if someone wants to buy a 31-year-old, they’ll have to pay the €135 million compensation fee.
Erling Holand (Manchester City) – 9.5 years
In January of this year, the Norwegian Super Bomber signed a new contract with Manchester City – for nine and a half years. At that point, he had scored 111 goals in 126 games for the team, so there was no doubt about it. Holand had two consecutive English league titles and the Golden Boots. Last season, the entire team was unwell, but almost no one doubted that extending his contract was the right decision.
Denilson (Betis) – 10 years
An unexpected appearance. But “Betis” for Denilson after the 1998 World Cup was worth €30 million at the time – crazy money at the time. The Brazilian was 20 years old and signed a crazy ten-year contract. However, Denilson couldn’t keep up with the set bar. Six years later, he moved to Bordeaux. And two of those six seasons were spent on loan at San Paulo.
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona) – for life
The time for symbolic gestures has come. In gratitude for the fruitful years of work, Barcelona signed the contract that has been so long-standing with Yin in 2017. The 33-year-old midfielder was supposed to stay at the Kampa Nou until the end of his career. But six months later, the yoke was moved to Japan’s Vissel Kobe. The gesture proved to be a painful one.
Iker Kasilyas, Raul (“Real”) – for life Holand
Holand
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