Neymar's transfer raised eyebrows. Only because it amounted to a $262 million deal that the history of football had never seen. Before him the most expensive transfer was that of Paul Pogba, who went for 89 million euros from Juventus to Manchester United. Whenever a transfer window opens, football nerds go crazy and the ones with bare minimum knowledge of the game have a question mark on their face.
So this article attempts to give you a clarity on the transfer process along with a brief history of the biggest give and take in the world of football.
1. The buying club approaches a club from where they want to procure a potential footballer. The selling club must be willing to take the negotiation forward. The monetary part must be discussed in the first place.
2. If both clubs agree on the terms, the association representing the selling club must register the name of the player in the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS), a software designed by FIFA. The aim of ITMS is to maintain transparency in the transfer market.
3. After the confirmation comes, the buying the club has to get an International Transfer Certificate from the selling club's association. For example, the Football Association, the governing body of football in England.
Neymar
4. If the certificate is delivered, which is tantamount to a green signal from the selling club, the buying club's association registers the player's name in the ITMS.
5. The transfer is complete only when the buying club makes the payment to the selling club and uploads the receipts on the ITMS.
These five steps are crucial whenever a player is transferred from one club to another.
A transfer only happens when a player is under a contract with a team/club. If the move has to happen, a player must end his contract at his current club.
Another major step before completing the move is a medical test. It might come across as a formality but then you cannot write its importance off. The player becomes eligible to play once the medical tests are cleared by him.
The first player ever to get transferred for above ?100 was Patrick William Groves. He was of Scottish descent who played as a forward. His transfer fee of ?100 was paid in 1893 by Aston Villa to West Bromwich Albion.
Read: Not Just Neymar, These Player Transfers Also Shook The World