Among the footballers whose contracts have been terminated during the 2024-25 season are former stars of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Leicester City.
Contract terminations can occur for various reasons, including backstage conflicts, injuries, or a player’s desire to explore new opportunities. We have identified five notable players in world football who have seen their contracts ended this season.
Neymar
Neymar and Al-Hilal came to a mutual agreement to terminate the Brazilian’s contract in January 2025, with speculation suggesting he may return to his childhood club, Santos.
This marked the end of a spell in Saudi Arabia that was marred by injuries, limiting him to just seven appearances since signing for the club in a £77.6million transfer in August 2023.
The forward made only two appearances in the current season, the last being as a substitute in November.
“The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided at Al-Hilal and wishes the player success in his career,” read a brief statement from the club.
As of now, Neymar remains the most expensive footballer in history following his £200million transfer to PSG in 2017.
Marcelo
The Real Madrid icon is no stranger to contract terminations. His deal with Olympiacos was ended last year after just five months with the club.
Following that, he returned to Fluminense, his first club, in February last year, but his time there was also relatively brief.
Though he made 38 appearances across all competitions in 2024, Marcelo faced challenges behind the scenes.
During a recent match against Gremio, he was set to be substituted in late during the game but had a heated argument with his manager and was instructed to remain seated instead.
Shortly after the match, Fluminense announced the termination of Marcelo’s contract following the altercation with Mano Menezes.
It will be intriguing to see where the former Real Madrid player goes next.
Ryan Kent
Kent’s time at Fenerbahce concluded in October when his contract was mutually terminated.
He managed to play just 68 minutes with Jose Mourinho at the helm before the Portuguese manager decided that the winger was not part of the club’s future.
Overall, Kent’s stint in Turkey was disappointing, particularly when considering he played merely 139 minutes of league action the previous season.
Now that he is back on the free agent market, the 27-year-old has been associated with several Championship teams as a return to England appears increasingly probable.
Daniel Amartey
After being embroiled in transfer controversies over the summer, former Leicester City player Daniel Amartey saw his contract with Besiktas terminated in September.
The Turkish club had attempted to offload Amartey over the summer, but multiple deals fell through as the 29-year-old resisted leaving.
“Amartey is a difficult person,” commented Besiktas spokesman Huseyin Yucel.
“We reached an agreement with a team from Saudi Arabia, but he did not get on the plane. We struck a deal with Eyupspor, but he escaped out the back of our facilities.”
Nonetheless, Amartey countered, calling the accusations false: “Those claims are completely untrue. Nothing like that occurred – those allegations should be dismissed.”
In light of the surrounding drama, it was not unexpected when he parted ways with the club by mutual consent.
Samu Castillejo
Even though he had a year left on his contract with Valencia, the club opted to cancel Castillejo’s contract in August.
Valencia had been in discussions for a mutual contract termination, but when the involved parties failed to reach an agreement, the club decided to dismiss the 29-year-old.
Understandably, Castillejo did not accept the decision without resistance, as he reportedly plans to sue the club for unpaid wages.
Image Source: Neymar @ Instagram
