Top 10 Longest Contracts in Football History

Contract extensions are one of the most crucial aspects of football. Alongside transfers, they take up a huge role in retaining the best players and giving them the respect they deserve. Quite often players and clubs are at loggerheads when it comes to contract extensions. Be it wages, be it terms, there is always a lengthy discussion before putting pen to paper. Ask Liverpool fans how stressful it has become for them this season as their best players are on the verge of becoming free agents. We will learn who signed the top 10 longest contracts in football history.

The discussion became very relevant when Erling Haaland signed a shocking nine-and-a-half-year deal with Manchester City. The Norwegian scoring machine dropped the bomb quietly that he is going to stay at the Etihad till the mid-2030s. Of course, a lot could happen by the time his deal runs out. But the eagerness he has shown to remain at this current club is commendable. From the club’s view, it was a matter of keeping suitors away from their star man. Only time will tell how this lengthy contract unfolds.

There are various reasons for offering these huge contracts. The first one is to simply keep a player happy and prevent him from turning his head. Secondly, it is offered as a token of gratitude for their services to the club. And recently, the trend of amortising contracts and transfers made it incredibly easy to sign long contracts.

Well if you are amazed by the length of this contract extension, sit back and relax as we take you out on a ride through the top 10 longest contracts in football history. Few of these deals have been honoured and beyond and few have seen a sorry end. Pick your favourite of these extensions.

10) Inaki Williams – 9 years

Athletic Bilbao’s Basque nationalism sentiments are well known. The club gives extreme importance to Basque heritage and is proud to boast superstars who can commit their long-term future to the club. Inaki Williams came through the club’s academy and established himself as a key player in their setup.

The versatile forward formed a lovely partnership with Aritz Aduriz at the club. He signed multiple deals with the club as he kept on scoring freely for them. In 2019, the news broke that Inaki Williams pledged his long-term future to the club. He signed a shocking nine-year extension that keeps him at San Mames till 2028. He added 79 goals for the club and remains a key cog in the machine for them.

9) Enzo Fernandez – 9 Years

The Todd Boehly era at Stamford Bridge has seen cash being splashed like never before. In fact, it dwarfs the spending of the Roman Abramovich era and it’s saying something. The new ownership signed players for exorbitant amounts and introduced the concept of amortising transfers to English football. This meant they would divide the payments to the club into several installments and reflect them at the length of the contract.

Enzo Fernandez was making a name for himself at Benfica and the 2022 World Cup triumph took his fame to the next level. Suitors started lining up for him in the winter transfer window of 2023. Benfica slapped a hefty £106.8 million tag on him. Chelsea were happy to meet it and offered him a shocking 9-year contract. It made it easier for them to split that amount into 9 installments and also pay his salary comfortably. Enzo Fernandez is the heartbeat of Enzo Mareca’s top-four chasing Blues.

Also Read: 10 Biggest Football Contracts In History

8) Cole Palmer – 9 Years

Several eyebrows were raised when Chelsea signed a player with high potential for a huge £40 million fee. He was rated highly within the football circles but paying that amount for a player without a proper first-team season under his belt was a risky move. He was also offered a seven-year contract as part of the amortisation plan. But Todd Boehly’s Chelsea struck gold with that signing as Cole Palmer lit up the league.

Palmer scored 22 goals in the league and assisted 11 times as he won the PL Young Player of the Season and the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year. He became an undroppable part of the English National team as well. Palmer’s great breakout was awarded with a hefty nine-year contract in the summer of 2024. He is enjoying another fine campaign in West London proving that he’s not a one-season wonder.  

7) Lionel Messi – 9 Years

Players like Lionel Messi would only come once in a generation. Well, it’s not exaggerating if we even say he’s once in a millennium kind. Barcelona knew they were dealing with a very special player who could define a generation when they flew him to Spain from Argentina. They convinced his family by offering a contract on a napkin to prove they were serious about persuading him to join the club.

Once he joined La Masia, they were awestruck with what they were watching. Messi signed multiple contracts as a teenager but on the eve of his 18^th birthday, he signed the best of them all. Messi signed a bumper 9-year contract in 2005 that would keep him at the club till 2014.

As things turned out, he did win some trophies (pun intended) and went on to stay for many more years beyond his 9-year contract. Ironically, Messi had to leave Barcelona in 2021 because the club couldn’t afford to extend his contract within the permissible wage limits.

6) Saul Niguez – 9 Years

Saul Niguez was one of the most exciting young Spanish midfielders in the mid-2010s. His abilities were quite incredible. He was technical and could pass the ball with the typical Spanish elegance. Saul’s energy in defence was unmatched and he became the archetypical Diego Simeone’s midfielder.

The sky was the limit for him and Atletico Madrid was more than happy to keep the player for the foreseeable future. He penned a new 9-year deal in 2017 to become Atletico’s midfield governor-general. But something turned as Saul couldn’t replicate his form since 2020.

He fell out of favour with the manager and went on a loan move to Chelsea. With the signings of Conor Gallagher and the emergence of Pablo Barrios in the middle of the park, Saul is unable to find a spot in the team and is on loan at Sevilla. He still has one more summer to run down on his mega contract.

5) Erling Haaland – 9.5 Years

The Norwegian striker was a goal machine from the first. He broke scoring records for fun at all levels and built quite the reputation as a cold-blooded finisher. Manchester City wanted to replace Sergio Aguero and Haaland was the perfect fit. He became a new face of Pep Guardiola’s side as he wanted to continue the domestic domination along with some success on the European stage.

Haaland hit the ground running with a brace on his debut and flew away with the golden boot. He helped City win the league in his first season and played a key role in them lifting the elusive Champions League trophy. Another Golden Boot winning season followed as City completed the epic four-peat.

For the first time in his third season, Haaland slowed down and recorded less than a goal-per-game ratio for the first time. Rumours were stirring of a move away to Spain as frustrations grew due to rare blanks.

However, City were confident of sealing his services for the long term and shocked the world by announcing they got Haaland to sign a nine-and-a-half-year deal. The Norwegian is said to earn close to £1 million a week including bonuses. It is to be seen whether he honours the contract given the massive cloud of 130 charges hanging on Manchester City’s head.

4) Denilson – 10 Years

Speak about taking risks on an unknown variable. Real Betis took a risk and then some more with the signing of Denilson. The nimble-footed winger enjoyed a fine teenage spell with Sao Paulo in Brazil. He scored 26 times for them and had all the qualities needed to take on the world. This prompted Real Betis to pay the then world record fee of £21.5 million for him in 1998.

Denilson was also offered a huge 10-year contract in Spain. They had huge hopes for him as they wanted to challenge for the league title. But a sorry story unfolded as he only twice in his first campaign and they finished 11^th. It only got worse as Betis were relegated in 2000. Denilson then moved to Brazil on loan to continue playing in the top division.

He came back in 2001 as Betis won the promotion despite him scoring only once. He lost his place as a starter and became a perennial substitute. He could not play more than 290 in the campaign in which Betis won the Copa del Rey and finished 4^th in the league.

Just seven years into his 10-year contract, Betis decided to cut their losses. They decided to sell Denilson to Bordeaux in 2005. It brought an end to a painful 7-year journey in which he has scored 14 times for the club in 196 appearances.

3) Raul – Lifetime

Now we are in the rare category of contracts that can not be quantified. These players sit pretty at the top of the top 10 longest contracts in football history. These players have achieved something so incredible with their clubs that they were given the freedom to choose their terms. Lifetime contracts would mean the player would have full control over staying or leaving the club and deciding his salary and the length of their own contract.

Raul lives and breathes Real Madrid as the forward came through the youth ranks before succeeding with the club. He was part of the original galacticos made up of largely local and a few international players. Raul played a key role in Los Blancos winning 6 La Ligas and 3 Champions League during his 18-year stay at the club including his academy days.

In 2008, Real Madrid offered Raul a lifetime contract and it would auto-renew itself whenever Raul crosses the 30 appearance mark for the club. Known as “El Capitan” for captaining both Madrid and Spain, his last touch with Madrid was a fairytale.

He requested a substitution as he was not able to continue. Real Madrid won the ball back and started a counterattack, a hobbling Raul made his way to the opposition box before poking a finish past the opposition goalkeeper from a Cristiano Ronaldo pass. Despite having the freedom to renew for another year, Raul felt his best years were past him and decided to leave the club as he recovered from that injury in 2010.

2) Iker Casillas – Lifetime

The shot-stopper is considered the best goalkeeper of all time by a wide range of pundits and fans across the world. He was Real Madrid through and through as he spent eight years with the academy and played for C and B teams before making his senior debut. Casillas would go on to make his first debut in 1999 and held the starting spot for 16 incredible years.

Known as “San Iker” for his calm nature, Casillas was the definition of a textbook goalkeeper. He had great reflexes, positioning, concentration, footwork, kicking, speed and judgement to repel attacks with ease. He became the backbone of Spain and Real Madrid teams that dominated international tournaments.

Along with Raul, Casillas was also awarded lifetime contracts at Real Madrid for their contributions in 2008. Casillas decided to stay and win more at the club despite facing competition from younger goalkeepers. He sealed La Decima in 2014 with an incredible run in the Champions League.

He registered his 700^th appearance for Real Madrid in 2014 and knew he was close to the end. The end however was not beautiful as President Florentino Perez came under criticism from Casillas’ parents as he tried to force Casillas out. His ex-teammates were cross with the situation too and Casillas took the painful call of moving away from the Spanish capital as he signed for Portuguese club Porto.  

1) Andres Iniesta – Lifetime

If Iker Casillas was Real Madrid through and through, Andres Iniesta was Barcelona through and through. Don Andres is one of the finest midfielders of all time and his time at Barcelona coincided with the greatest ever in the club’s history. He was the heartbeat of legendary teams that won the league and the Champions League multiple times.

Iniesta started as a defensive midfielder at La Masia. But his ball control, agility, composure and an eye for a forward pass demanded him to become an attacking midfielder. He used to excel at multiple roles including the winger role, an attacker role and even as a deep midfielder at just 18 years of age. He found his best role in the central midfield alongside Sergio Busquets and Xavi Hernandez. It is still the favourite midfield trio for millions around the globe for their services to the beautiful game.

Iniesta helped Barcelona win the famous treble in 2015. Despite his waning powers, he was offered a lifetime contract in 2017. He played his 650^th career game for the Catalans in 2018 and knew couldn’t play at the peak of his powers for his club and it could hurt them in the long run.

Just a year after signing the lifetime contract, Iniesta took the tough call of leaving the club in 2018. He won a league title and Copa del Rey in his final campaign before bidding a teary-eyed goodbye to the Camp Nou.

Also Read: 10 Best Midfielders of All-time in Football History