THE Rooney deal: your questions answered.
Well worth a read.
How much have Manchester United paid Everton to acquire the player that Sven-Göran Eriksson has described as “the new Pelé”?
Can we just clear something up? Eriksson never called Rooney “the new Pelé”. He simply observed that, since Pelé emerged at the World Cup of 1958, no player had monopolised the attention at an international tournament the way that Rooney did at Euro 2004. It’s not quite the same. For one, the World Cup of 1958 was quite good. But to return to your question: Manchester United have paid £30 million for the new Pelé. At least, thus far, they have paid £10 million. Eventually they will have paid £30 million. Or possibly £27 million. Or maybe £24.25 million. Something like that, anyway. It all depends.
Why isn’t it possible to put a firm price on the man Sir Alex Ferguson has described as “the most exciting United player since George Best”?
Again, that’s not quite what Ferguson said. He described Rooney as the club’s “most exciting signing in the last 30 years” — which, when you consider United’s record since 1974 in the transfer market in general, and Ferguson’s in particular, might not be saying all that much. But the reason that nobody is slapping a single sticker-price on Rooney has to do with the intricate construction of the transfer deal, which is made up of a series of complex, performance-related clauses.
More complex than the new active/passive offside laws?
Not that complex.
So, let’s go
OK. As mentioned, United have handed Everton £10 million as a down-payment, with another £10 million to follow in a year from now, then with three further instalments of £1 million arriving between August 2006 and August 2008. That makes £23 million guaranteed. If, at any point in the next five years, United win the Champions League, Everton get another £ 1 million. They get £500,000 in the unlikely event that United win the Premiership in that time. Everton also get £500,000 for every 20 England caps that Rooney wins as a United player. And if he extends his contract with United, Everton get a cheque for £1.5 million, as long as there is an “n” in the month, the moon is full and Pluto is in Aquarius.
What does Rooney get?
Allegedly £50,000 per week, rising eventually to £70,000 per week, plus a young person’s railcard and tokens enabling him to purchase two chart DVDs from any branch of HMV.
What is the wisdom of spending as much as £30 million on an 18-year-old with more yellow cards than goals to his name at club level?
Hey, life’s no fun if you don’t take a punt every now and again. Ask Ferguson! However, we feel certain that the deal has been cleverly put together to provide its own safety net in the event that things don’t turn out entirely for the best.
How so?
Given that the deal contains substantial elements (accounting potentially for as much as a third of its total value) predicated on future performance, it is our belief that United’s lawyers would have been sagacious enough, and within their rights, to insist on a parallel series of underperformance clauses. Thus, in the event that Rooney plays like a plonker and United win nothing in 2004-05, Everton almost certainly will be required to return at least £4 million. And in the event that the season works out even worse than that for United, and they win the Carling Cup, the repayment from Everton rises to £5 million.
Similarly, with regard to international appearances, should Rooney miss the decisive penalty during the shoot-out in a World Cup qualifying play-off, Everton would be obliged to hand United £2.6 million, plus the equivalent of the fees generated by any future pizza commercial on that theme.
I read with dismay the recent stories connecting Rooney with visits to a £45-per-night brothel in one of the seamier districts of Liverpool. Does the contract in any way reflect the undesirability of this kind of thing happening again?
Obviously the culture at Manchester United is such that Rooney, hereafter, will find himself in bed by 7.30pm, after hot milk and a story from Ryan Giggs. However, in the event of any future lurid tabloid exposés, Everton must reimburse United at the rate of £1.2 million per sex worker, per exposé. Incidentally, our understanding is that it was £45 per night, rising to £60 per night as soon as the prostitute made 20 appearances for England.
What happens the first time Rooney thumps someone during competitive play?
Thumping triggers an automatic repayment by Everton to United of £750,000 per thump. However, the repayment is annulled under clause 43 (b), section five, paragraph 2 (a) if the player thumped started and/or deserved it. (For ease of reference, this is described in the contract as “the Kieron Dyer clause”.)
Suddenly the deal is looking better for United.
Indeed it is. And if, in the worst-case scenario, United get relegated, England fail to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and Rooney, while serving his fourth consecutive domestic suspension for violent conduct, ruptures a cruciate ligament on his 27th visit to a £45-per-night brothel in one of the seamier districts of Liverpool . . . well, then, by our calculation, Everton will end up having paid United 250 quid to take Rooney off their hands.
It wasn’t like this in Trevor Francis’s day.
Too true. Back then, Britain’s first million-pound player was Britain’s first million-pound player. He wasn’t a £950,000 player hoping to become a million-pound player by scoring 13 goals at international level, at least two of which had to be direct from corners. Also, as Dennis Wise movingly wrote in his autobiography: “In those days, a million pounds was a lot of money.” Let’s face it, it was a simpler world in so many ways.
I’m thinking of buying a footballer, but I’m worried about the complexities involved.
An independent financial adviser will be happy to talk you through the ins and outs — though not nearly as happy as an agent. Some players are offering a very attractive 0 per cent finance package, and will agree to throw in tax, plates and delivery free of charge. Shop around remains the best advice.
Well worth a read.
How much have Manchester United paid Everton to acquire the player that Sven-Göran Eriksson has described as “the new Pelé”?
Can we just clear something up? Eriksson never called Rooney “the new Pelé”. He simply observed that, since Pelé emerged at the World Cup of 1958, no player had monopolised the attention at an international tournament the way that Rooney did at Euro 2004. It’s not quite the same. For one, the World Cup of 1958 was quite good. But to return to your question: Manchester United have paid £30 million for the new Pelé. At least, thus far, they have paid £10 million. Eventually they will have paid £30 million. Or possibly £27 million. Or maybe £24.25 million. Something like that, anyway. It all depends.
Why isn’t it possible to put a firm price on the man Sir Alex Ferguson has described as “the most exciting United player since George Best”?
Again, that’s not quite what Ferguson said. He described Rooney as the club’s “most exciting signing in the last 30 years” — which, when you consider United’s record since 1974 in the transfer market in general, and Ferguson’s in particular, might not be saying all that much. But the reason that nobody is slapping a single sticker-price on Rooney has to do with the intricate construction of the transfer deal, which is made up of a series of complex, performance-related clauses.
More complex than the new active/passive offside laws?
Not that complex.
So, let’s go
OK. As mentioned, United have handed Everton £10 million as a down-payment, with another £10 million to follow in a year from now, then with three further instalments of £1 million arriving between August 2006 and August 2008. That makes £23 million guaranteed. If, at any point in the next five years, United win the Champions League, Everton get another £ 1 million. They get £500,000 in the unlikely event that United win the Premiership in that time. Everton also get £500,000 for every 20 England caps that Rooney wins as a United player. And if he extends his contract with United, Everton get a cheque for £1.5 million, as long as there is an “n” in the month, the moon is full and Pluto is in Aquarius.
What does Rooney get?
Allegedly £50,000 per week, rising eventually to £70,000 per week, plus a young person’s railcard and tokens enabling him to purchase two chart DVDs from any branch of HMV.
What is the wisdom of spending as much as £30 million on an 18-year-old with more yellow cards than goals to his name at club level?
Hey, life’s no fun if you don’t take a punt every now and again. Ask Ferguson! However, we feel certain that the deal has been cleverly put together to provide its own safety net in the event that things don’t turn out entirely for the best.
How so?
Given that the deal contains substantial elements (accounting potentially for as much as a third of its total value) predicated on future performance, it is our belief that United’s lawyers would have been sagacious enough, and within their rights, to insist on a parallel series of underperformance clauses. Thus, in the event that Rooney plays like a plonker and United win nothing in 2004-05, Everton almost certainly will be required to return at least £4 million. And in the event that the season works out even worse than that for United, and they win the Carling Cup, the repayment from Everton rises to £5 million.
Similarly, with regard to international appearances, should Rooney miss the decisive penalty during the shoot-out in a World Cup qualifying play-off, Everton would be obliged to hand United £2.6 million, plus the equivalent of the fees generated by any future pizza commercial on that theme.
I read with dismay the recent stories connecting Rooney with visits to a £45-per-night brothel in one of the seamier districts of Liverpool. Does the contract in any way reflect the undesirability of this kind of thing happening again?
Obviously the culture at Manchester United is such that Rooney, hereafter, will find himself in bed by 7.30pm, after hot milk and a story from Ryan Giggs. However, in the event of any future lurid tabloid exposés, Everton must reimburse United at the rate of £1.2 million per sex worker, per exposé. Incidentally, our understanding is that it was £45 per night, rising to £60 per night as soon as the prostitute made 20 appearances for England.
What happens the first time Rooney thumps someone during competitive play?
Thumping triggers an automatic repayment by Everton to United of £750,000 per thump. However, the repayment is annulled under clause 43 (b), section five, paragraph 2 (a) if the player thumped started and/or deserved it. (For ease of reference, this is described in the contract as “the Kieron Dyer clause”.)
Suddenly the deal is looking better for United.
Indeed it is. And if, in the worst-case scenario, United get relegated, England fail to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and Rooney, while serving his fourth consecutive domestic suspension for violent conduct, ruptures a cruciate ligament on his 27th visit to a £45-per-night brothel in one of the seamier districts of Liverpool . . . well, then, by our calculation, Everton will end up having paid United 250 quid to take Rooney off their hands.
It wasn’t like this in Trevor Francis’s day.
Too true. Back then, Britain’s first million-pound player was Britain’s first million-pound player. He wasn’t a £950,000 player hoping to become a million-pound player by scoring 13 goals at international level, at least two of which had to be direct from corners. Also, as Dennis Wise movingly wrote in his autobiography: “In those days, a million pounds was a lot of money.” Let’s face it, it was a simpler world in so many ways.
I’m thinking of buying a footballer, but I’m worried about the complexities involved.
An independent financial adviser will be happy to talk you through the ins and outs — though not nearly as happy as an agent. Some players are offering a very attractive 0 per cent finance package, and will agree to throw in tax, plates and delivery free of charge. Shop around remains the best advice.
