'Ludicrous' Neymar clause revealed as Barcelona permitted Brazilian surprise luxury once a month

BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 11: Neymar of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's 5th goal during the UEFA Champions League, Group H match between FC Barcelona and Celtic FC at the Camp Nou Stadium on December 11, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Neymar playing for Barcelona in 2013 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Neymar had a clause inserted into his Barcelona contract which a leading sports lawyer claims is the most "ludicrous" one he has seen during his career.

Having joined Barcelona from Santos in a deal worth £71.5m, Neymar arrived in Catalonia as a 21-year-old with a point to prove. After taking a few months to settle in at the La Liga side and crying in the dressing at half-time of one particular game against Athletic Bilbao, the Brazilian quickly developed into one of the best footballers in the world.

Alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar formed a crucial part of the revered MSN attacking line that dominated in the 2014/15 season, a season in which Barcelona won the La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey treble. But while he enjoyed 39 goals in 51 games that term on the pitch, he had plenty of time for fun off it, too.

Neymar had 'ludicrous' clause inserted in Barcelona contract

Neymar playing for Barcelona at Camp Nou in 2016

Neymar shone at Barcelona

Daniel Geey is a leading sports lawyer and has been involved in deals as high-profile as Declan Rice's £105m move from West Ham to Arsenal in 2023.

Appearing on The Overlap Fan Debate to discuss a wide range of different intricacies in the game, from contract strategies, negotiations between clubs and the Premier League's PSRs, Geey also touched on "the most ludicrous clause" he has seen in a player's contract following a question from Jamie Carragher.

Daniel Geey on the Overlap Fan Debate discussing Neymar at Barcelona

Daniel Geey on the Overlap Fan Debate discussing Neymar at Barcelona (Image credit: The Overlap Fan Debate)

"I can't say too much due to confidentiality, just in case I get struck off as a lawyer," Geey said.

"But the best one I saw was Neymar's clause at Barcelona. When he was there, apparently he had a clause where, every month, he could have eight of his best mates come over from Brazil to have a party in Barcelona. I'd loved to have been able to draft that party clause."

In fact, FourFourTwo experienced first-hand Neymar's laissez-faire attitude in April 2015. Turning up nine hours late for an interview, Neymar had been enjoying a barbecue at his mansion in Castelldefels before eventually being persuaded by Nike high-ups to show his face.

That interview saw FourFourTwo introduced to Los Toiss - a controversial group of six (sometimes more) friends, one-time team-mates and fixers who exist as moons to service planet Neymar. Guillherme Pitta arranged Neymar's parties and night-time actitivities.

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 21: Neymar attends Diesel 'Spirit of the Brave' Perfume Launch Party at Salle Wagram on May 21, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julien Hekimian/Getty Images for Diesel)

Neymar enjoys night-time events (Image credit: Getty Images)

Neymar isn't the only Brazilian star at Barcelona who became notorious for their party lifestyle, with Ronaldinho's antics well documented.

It does seem surprising that Barcelona would have agreed to such a clause in Neymar's contract, especially considering the issues they encountered with Ronaldinho a few years' beforehand. Now Neymar is back in Brazil with his boyhood side Santos, partying with his mates might become a little easier.

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Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. 

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