Here we have William Gallas, to start with a premium story. The Frenchman was a standout figure on and off the pitch at Chelsea FC between 2001 and 2006. In 2006, however, he wanted to move to Arsenal FC, which didn’t sit well with Chelsea and their coach at the time, Jose Mourinho. Gallas was denied his release.

What happened next sounds like a bad movie: Chelsea officially announced that Gallas was threatening to score an own goal, see the red card or make deliberate mistakes if he was not allowed to leave by the start of the – Season .

Chelsea publicly dismantled their player and the 225 sometimes outstanding appearances in the blue jersey were forgotten. Gallas was allowed to leave and cash in big at Arsenal.

At Chelsea, Khalid Boulahrouz also played, not particularly often and also only with a run-up. The Dutchman wanted to leave HSV, but the Hanseatic League did not want to give him away at the offered conditions. Before the Champions League qualifier against Osasuna, Boulahrouz simulated an injury while warming up so as not to lose his international eligibility to play for Chelsea. The fan frenzy was huge, but Boulahrouz didn’t care – he was allowed to go.

The contract period is now only a formality

Rafael van der Vaart also left HSV with a bang – and after many successful years. When the Hamburgers did not want to let him go, he had himself photographed with the jersey of the interested FC Valencia. Again, there was great turmoil, but here, too, the blackmail was successful.

The list of striking professional soccer players is endless. Often unparalleled in audacity, many players are looking for ways to get out of their contracts because a more lucrative contract beckons elsewhere. They don’t care whether they’ve done a lot for the club, whether they’re popular or whether they leave behind a shambles. They go on strike – and get their way. For good reason: The soccer players have long since taken over.

In the end, they almost always have the upper hand, even though their clubs actually have valid contracts with them. But the paperwork is probably only there to write down how much the players earn – the “contract term” item is merely a formality.

This is also the case with Cristiano Ronaldo, for whom it may not be primarily about money at all, but about the chance to play in the Champions League. Because Manchester United – what a cheek – wants to keep him, Ronaldo sulked and went on strike.

What if a club refuses to release?

It is not uncommon for this dispute to begin about a year before the end of the contract, so the term does have meaning then. The announcement is, as always, “Either you let me go now or I’ll be gone in a year on a free transfer and you won’t have anything left of me.” If a club nevertheless rejects a transfer, there are various scenarios:

• Ideal scenario: The club refuses, the player backs down – all is well.
• Risky scenario: You refuse, the player is unhappy and his performance goes down.
• Riot scenario: You refuse, the player goes on strike and provokes another solution.
• Steady scenario: You refuse, the player goes on strike, you don’t let yourself be provoked and you accept losing the player on a free transfer.

But many clubs have to admit to themselves that steadfast behavior is hardly possible anymore. Especially since the pandemic, in which many revenues have long noticeably declined and the market has changed, transfer payments are immensely important. For example, neither VfB Stuttgart can afford to keep Sasa Kalajdzic, although they had hoped for more transfer fees, nor FC Bayern with Robert Lewandowski. Oliver Kahn’s much-cited “Basta” was cashed in.

Ronaldo, Sterling, Kane: Strikes, quarrels and scandals in the Premier League

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Premier League players resorting to strikes, disputes and scandals to change clubs? Nothing new. Cristiano Ronaldo is the latest example. SPOX shows a small selection.

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CRISTIANO RONALDO: CR7 has had a turbulent summer. The superstar did not take part in Manchester United’s US tour for “family reasons”, fuelling rumors of a possible move.

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He then returned to training out of disappointment at the lack of interest in him, but had a meeting with United officials beforehand. Ronaldo’s attitude, however, has not changed: He wants to leave.

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Last weekend, after being substituted at halftime, CR7 left the stadium early – causing unrest once again. Manager Erik ten Hag described this behavior as “unacceptable”.

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PIERRE VAN HOOIJDONK: He was a major factor for Nottingham Forest in the 1997/98 – Season when they were promoted to the Premier League and he scored 34 goals. However, he often clashed with manager Dave Bassett.

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And so he wanted to force a transfer. However, the coach refused to let him go, although Newcastle reportedly offered 8.5 million euros for van Hooijdonk. After the World Cup, the player criticized the squad quality.

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The striker invoked a transfer agreement. The officials refused, whereupon the player went on strike until November, but then reluctantly returned. He scored only six goals and then moved to Vitesse.

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WILLIAM GALLAS: Now it’s getting really crazy! Gallas had no more desire for Chelsea and moved to Arsenal in 2006. An amicable parting of the ways? What do you think? Jose Mourinho supported a club statement with nasty accusations.

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Gallas is said to have threatened to score own goals or be sent off if he was forced to stay. He even refused to play in the FA Cup semifinal against Liverpool. And as befits a stubborn club …

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Chelsea explained that they sold him only to buy Arsenal’s Ashley Cole. Sure enough. Gallas, in turn, what a wonder, countered, “I never said I would try to score an own goal.” The truth is in the stars.

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DIMITAR BERBATOV: When Sir Alex Ferguson calls, players can sometimes forget their current employer. That’s what happened in 2008, when the Scot reportedly said in public that he expected to sign Berbatov.

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The Spurs attacker was immediately on fire. Ferguson disputed the truth of the quotes. Tottenham tried to file a complaint with the league. But against what, actually? Against freedom of expression? The United coach felt it was “embarrassing”.

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Berbatov was not used in the first two games and was eventually able to fulfill his dream. Ferguson eventually summed up dryly that the transfer saga had been “more painful than my hip operation”.

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JAVIER MASCHERANO: As popular as he was at Liverpool FC, fans were disappointed when he refused to play against Manchester City on August 23, 2010, because he wanted to move to FC Barcelona. An offer was already on the table.

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After the World Cup, the Argentine expressed his desire to change. Mascherano thought the club would let him go. Liverpool, however, did not want to do without him. He has since apologized to the fans for his behavior at the time.

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“I was quite angry that they didn’t keep their word,” he told FourFourTwo: “Refusing to play against City was the way for me to show my anger.” He said he had to act that way for family reasons. The classic.

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CARLOS TEVEZ: In 2009, he moved from Manchester United to their city rivals. Malicious tongues would claim that United snuck him in. But seriously, the two parties never really warmed to each other.

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In 2010 he didn’t get an improved contract and applied for a transfer. Didn’t work out, so he withdrew the request. In 2011, he clashed with Mancini during a game against Bayern. Allegedly, he refused to be substituted.

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The result: two weeks’ suspension and a strike. The club wanted to sell him – without success. During the strike, Tevez was photographed playing golf. Afterwards he apologized, scored three times in April 2012 and made a golf cheer.

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LUKA MODRIC: Tottenham were struck twice by this man. In 2011, Spurs rejected two offers from Chelsea FC. Modric invoked a “gentleman’s agreement” with Spurs boss Levy that he would be allowed to move to a bigger club.

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Tottenham stood firm, Modric went on strike – unsuccessfully. A year later, Real Madrid came knocking. Modric deliberately stayed away from training and did not travel with them to the USA. Spurs punished him with a fine of two weeks’ wages – only fair.

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Tottenham then eventually got a hefty transfer fee and Modric his way. His history with the royals is well known. Among other things, he managed the title strike, er strike between 2016 and 2018 in the Champions League.

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RAHEEM STERLING: In 2015 he packed Liverpool FC’s first-team breakthrough and was offered a new contract. But he told the BBC that he had no intention of renewing his contract. The beginning of a mudslinging.

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Coach Brendan Rodgers accused Sterling’s advisor of misleading his client. The latter replied in the London Evening Standard, “I don’t care about the PR of the club.” Manchester City took advantage of the situation.

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Sterling moved to the Skyblues for €63.7 million – but only after Sterling refused to take part in the Reds’ preparation and missed two days of training due to an “illness”. We all remember that from school.

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PHILIPPE COUTINHO: Liverpool and Spurs seem to be particularly often affected. The Brazilian was also desperate to leave and did everything to do so. In 2017, Barca reportedly made three offers, all of which the Reds rejected.

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Coutinho suddenly had back. A Selecao doctor claimed that the injury was caused by stress. Then Liverpool didn’t feel like stress either. And so Barca and Coutinho got their way.

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Liverpool, after all, were able to enjoy a small pocket money of around 135 million euros – of which Alisson and Virgil van Dijk were then signed, while Coutinho never regained his old strength.

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HARRY KANE: And Tottenham again. Who else? Even Spurs legends sometimes seem to lose their desire. When Guardiola and Manchester City came knocking, Kane wanted to leave. On The Overlap, he revealed to Gary Neville that he wanted to win titles.

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At least he made it onto front pages before. After the 2021 European Championship, Kane did not return in time for pre– Season . He was accused of going on strike. Kane defended himself with a long post on Instagram.

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Nevertheless, he did not return for the time being. About 20 days later, he assured Spurs of his services in a second statement after making his comeback at the end of August. By then, City must have realized that some players are too expensive for them, too.

FC Bayern and Pini Zahavi: Pretty best friends

It may be too drastic to say that clubs have now become the players’ puppet, but if you look at the big picture, you can’t get past the idea. A (ge-)important role is played by the player advisors, who present their clients with the script to get to their goal. They are even hired specifically for this purpose.

The fact that Robert Lewandowski traded in his long-standing team of advisors for Pini Zahavi was a clear sign to FC Bayern that cozy contract talks were not imminent here – and so it came to pass. Zahavi probably presented Lewandowski with a to-do list on how to get rid of his club, and Lewandowski worked through the list with flying colors. Of course he threatened to strike, of course he turned away emotionally, displayed a listlessness in training – and got to his goal.

There are no negative consequences for either the player or Zahavi. They are rewarded for their audacity. Lewandowski got his four-year contract with FC Barcelona, Zahavi got the commission – and a free reconciliation: “I have nothing against Pini. He’s doing his job. We have a good relationship,” said Bayern’s sports director Hasan Salihamidzic at the beginning of August in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The fact that in the weeks and months before things were quite different in terms of communication, that people were accusing each other of lying, that public humiliation was the order of the day, is something we’ll let slide. It would also be fatal if the manager of one of the most important clubs in the world were to break with one of the most important mediators in the world.

After the Lewandowski deal went through, Zahavi said in the Sport Bild: “I hope that I can continue to have a good, friendly relationship with FC Bayern in the future.” And, “I hope that I can bring them players – and not just bring players away from the club.”

FIFA and Co.: Consumer behavior has changed

He can be sure that it will happen when he has a player that FC Bayern wants. And so the power of the pros and their agents increases immeasurably as they move further and further up the food chain. Especially since the soccer world has gotten used to it and striking professionals are almost normal. It’s just part of the game.

Club loyalty, tradition, loyalty – all well and good, but these values are being lived less and less. This is also due to the new consumer behavior in soccer: While clubs used to be the biggest institution for fans, the new generation is shifting the focus to the players. These days, the first information is leaking out about who the strongest players are in the console game FIFA23. The enthusiasm and interest are immense.

In the past, people used to talk about which team is strong and who to play with, now they talk about so-called FUT cards, which they reveal in celebration because their heroes appear. This has shaped the new generation of soccer fans to such an extent that you don’t automatically become a fan of a club, but of players?

That 30 million Instagram followers are switching to PSG with Messi already shows where you’ve arrived. That Kylian Mbappe whistles at one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world and stays at PSG causes gloating among the older generations, but just look at the reactions to the Frenchman’s publications on social media. For the most part, he has received a lot of enthusiasm. If he doesn’t enjoy PSG in a year’s time, they’ll still love him until they pledge their eternal allegiance to a new FIFA hero.

The clubs are impotently playing the game because they need these players to achieve their goals. Ultimately, it’s also about finding solutions for them to tap into the big money pots. It’s absurd to use “club loyalty” and “loyalty” as exclusion criteria in scouting. After all, at some point they’ll be the next ones to want a player and watch the consultants choreograph a farewell in their favor.

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