As far as strange contract clauses go, this is right up there with the weirdest as former Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli had a £1m ‘good behaviour’ clause.
As per The Times, the 26-year-old had the chance to gain a £1m bonus for every season that he went through avoiding any controversial moments.
The criteria included, as noted in the report, going without receiving three or more red cards for violent behaviour, insulting or abusive language or gestures and any dissent.
Given his history, it would probably have seemed like a good idea at the time, but even on paper it’s pretty ridiculous that Liverpool thought they had to go to those lengths to keep a sense of control over Balotelli.
The report goes on to add that Balotelli was earning £85,000-a-week along with a £25,000 bonus for each of his first five goals in the Premier League or European competition before earning £50,000 for every goal after that threshold was met.
Despite all those incentives, it didn’t work for the Italian international at Anfield as he managed just four goals in 24 appearances for the club before moving on to Nice this past summer.
Although the clause seemingly worked as Balotelli kept himself out of trouble for the most part during his spell on Merseyside, those were major financial gambles to take on a player that hadn’t proven over a consistent period of time that he deserved it.
Aside from his first stint with AC Milan, Balotelli has continuously fallen short of expectations throughout his career, although he seems to have found a sense of calm at Nice where he has scored six Ligue 1 goals so far this season with the club sitting top of the table.