Footballers often choose to change teams due to the potential benefits they can receive. The enticing contract offers and substantial financial rewards can be extremely hard to refuse. But amid six or seven-figure paydays being thrown around in modern-day football, a few select superstars aren’t strictly interested in the monetary gain and have turned down eye-watering contracts.
Today we’re revisiting the aforementioned transfer offers that have been rejected by some of the sport’s most celebrated players.
Lionel Messi rejects Al Hilal (2023)
The offer: £321 million annual salary
Lionel Messi, widely considered one of the top footballers globally, recently turned down a lucrative offer from SPL team Al Hilal. With Cristiano Ronaldo already competing in the Saudi Pro League, fans were hopeful that the long-standing rivalry between the two would be revived if they played in the same league again.
After his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired, Messi became the subject of numerous transfer rumours. Clubs from all over Europe and beyond were vying to secure his signature. However, a highly anticipated return to his former club and childhood team, Barcelona, was ultimately dismissed as a possibility.
Al Hilal, a team from Saudi Arabia, and Inter Miami, a club based in Florida, were the top contenders in the competition to secure his signature. As reported by Mirror, Al Hilal attempted to entice Messi into joining the Saudi Pro League by offering a staggering £321 million per season. Despite the alluring proposal, the talented Argentine declined the offer. Instead, he chose to sign with Inter Miami, where he quickly made an impact. In his first match for the club, Messi entered as a substitute in the second half and scored the winning goal with a captivating free kick.
Steven Gerrard rejects Chelsea (2005)
The offer: £32 million transfer fee
After Liverpool’s remarkable Champions League victory over Milan at the Ataturk Stadium, there were nonsensical rumours in the newspapers about Gerrard leaving the club. However, the truth is that the Liverpool captain submitted a transfer request in the summer of 2005, influenced by Chelsea and Jose Mourinho’s tempting offer.
The fact that the Premier League champions were interested in signing the midfielder left Gerrard torn between joining a club with ambitious goals and a visionary coach or remaining with the team he had cherished since childhood. Gerrard insisted that he only handed in the request to provoke Liverpool to demonstrate their desire to keep him, as he had grown frustrated with the delays in his contract extension negotiations.
Ultimately, Gerrard decided to stay loyal to Liverpool. Reflecting on his career upon retirement, he expressed his regret of not winning the Premier League. Still, he emphasized his pride in his unwavering loyalty, stating that Liverpool meant everything to him.
Kylian Mbappe snubs Al Hilal (2023)
The offer: £321 million annual salary
Kylian Mbappe recently announced that he will not be extending his contract with PSG beyond 2024. This news has attracted the attention of numerous top European clubs, as well as some Saudi Arabian clubs who are also interested in recruiting him. In response, PSG has listed Mbappe for transfer and made it clear that they have no plans to let him leave the club on a free transfer, considering him one of the world’s best players.
According to reports, Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal has made a substantial offer of £259 million to PSG for the talented French superstar. However, the challenge lies in convincing Mbappe to abandon European football and join the Saudi Pro League. Metro reported that Al Hilal presented an astounding deal to Mbappe, offering him an astronomical annual wage of £604 million.
With the football transfer rumors buzzing, sportsbooks began offering odds on the potential Mbappe move, as he’s a regular needle-mover and consistently favoured at bookmakers for Indian punters.
But, as anticipated, the player swiftly turned down this offer. In fact, Mbappe even declined to engage in face-to-face discussions with representatives from Al Hilal, indicating his lack of interest in joining the Saudi Pro League at this point in his career. You can, however, bet on Mbappe’s next move as tensions at PSG continue.
Francesco Totti rejects Real Madrid (2000/2001)
The offer: £25 million annual salary (ish)
Del Piero is not the sole idol in contemporary Italian football nor the only revered player who wore the number 10 jersey. Former coach Luciano Spalletti aptly summarized Francesco Totti’s situation when he remarked, “Moving the Colosseum out of Rome would be easier.”
For a span of 25 years, no tempting offer was able to lure Totti away from the Stadio Olimpico, where he showcased his remarkable skills. Two seasons after securing his only Scudetto in 2000/01, Real Madrid approached Totti, but the Eighth King of Rome responded, “We were taught in school that family is the most important thing. Have you ever heard of someone leaving their poor parents to live with wealthy strangers?”
While Totti may not have achieved a fraction of what he could have elsewhere, the second-highest all-time goal scorer in Serie A had tears of joy in his eyes and a wide smile as he bid an emotional farewell to football in 2017 (and once again, this month). This sentiment is something that no trophy could ever provide him with.
Ousmane Dembele rejects Al-Nassr (2023)
The offer: £35 million annually
The summer transfer window of 2023 has been dominated by Saudi Arabia, but not all players who were offered lucrative contracts have chosen to move to the kingdom. Al-Nassr, a Saudi club, has already signed players like Seko Fofana and Marcelo Brozovic this summer, and they recently expressed interest in the French winger.
The Barcelona player has only one year remaining on his contract at Camp Nou, and there was a possibility of him moving to Saudi Arabia. However, the winger declined a five-year contract worth £35 million per season from Al-Nassr. To put it into perspective, he rejected around £673,000 per week to move to PSG with friend Kylian Mbappe.