5 highest release clauses of players according to Football Manager 2018

The most popular football management sim is available to all those who pre-purchased it. The official release is on November 10th but who's really waiting? In this list, we look at some insanely high release clauses that clubs have inserted in player's contracts to stop them from leaving the club.

Of course, with the Neymar transfer this summer, the limit was pushed to a whole new level. There very little to suggest that inflation of the transfer market is dying down anytime soon. So the newer contracts attempt to really test the limits in order to secure players for their future.

But with all of this in mind, it raises a very very important question - Will a player ever be safe at a club with a release clause?

Agreed that Neymar was probably among the best players in Europe, but if that's worth 220 million a player exactly half his ability would be worth 110 - a scary thought indeed!

Most release clauses are found in Spain but there are a few major players that have these 'getaway options' inserted in them. There are names in here that you would probably have guessed but we'd be sure that you did not guess them in the right order.

#5 Marco Asensio, Real Madrid (£ 624 million)

Marco Asensio is a beast of a player. Since breaking into the Madrid first team, he has grown from strength to strength becoming as important to Zidane's team as Ronaldo and Ramos.

Asensio began his career at Mallorca and joined Real in 2014. He had two spells on loan, first back at Mallorca and then a spell at Barcelona's city rivals Espanyol. He impressed enough to be given a shot in the first team last season and boy has he justified his selection!

Asensio managed to ten goals in all competitions last season and has crossed the halfway point of that mark in only fifteen games this season. But Asensio's value lies in his ability to be a gradual replacement for the Ronaldo.

Madrid might surely have thought of someone who had been great for a couple of years to replace Ronaldo but Asensio's ascendancy means that barring a major injury or a sudden loss in confidence Asensio is one of Real Madrid's greatest assets and that shows in the release clause of £624 million. Oh! He is valued at 52 million and at the rate players are going these days, that's a snip - so if you have the cash go for it!

#4 Isco, Real Madrid (£624 million)

Real Madrid's Isco celebrates in the La Liga

Isco signed for Real Madrid from Malaga in 2013 for €35 million. He initially had teething problems with manager Ancelotti unable to consistently accommodate him in the team. Despite this, he managed a very respectable 11 goals in 53 appearances in his first season. In his first season, he most notably featured in a 4-1 Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid.

The next season Isco impressed once more this time featuring more regularly as he adapted to the side's style of play.

Isco form earned him a place in the FIFA Club World Cup run for Real Madrid as he started and starred in all the games Madrid played in as they won the Club World Cup in 2014. His form impressed many and many speculated that he might be considering leaving Real Madrid in order to become a regular first team starter in all competitions.

Last season, Isco decided to stay at Real and was instrumental in their league win as he featured 30 times as a part of manager Zidane's new rotation policy. His form earned him a new contract until June 2022 and a release clause of £624 million.

#3 Karim Benzema (£892 million)

Benzema, Bale, Cristiano

Karim Benzema has had a difficult season last time around. His importance to Real Madrid seemed to have declined slightly but Benzema still managed to score eleven league goals for Real. He remains extremely important for Real, however, forming a third of the famed fan-christened combination 'BBC' or Benzema, Bale, Cristiano.

Benzema has for the majority of his Real Madrid career played second fiddle to Ronaldo and even Bale but manager after manager has seen that Benzema is as important to the Madrid attacking force as Ronaldo is, providing crucial passes and making space with his incisive presence of mind for the other thirds of the attacking trio to drift in and pick up some more goals.

So far in his Madrid career, he has scored winning goals in many crucial games, including an only goal in a first-leg Champions League semi-final win over Bayern Munich in 2013-14 and the last goal of the La Liga 2016-17 season. He recently signed an extension on his contract until June 2021.

Valued at about £82 million according to Football Manager 2018, Benzema has a release clause of a staggering £892 million which place him among the most valued players at the club.

#2 Gareth Bale (£892 million)

Warlock of Wales- Gareth Bale

The Welsh superstar is probably one of the best players that his country has produced. His competition for that title includes Ian Rush and Ryan Giggs. However, there is no doubting Bale is indeed the best of his generation, miles ahead of his competition.

Bale came through the academy at Southampton and completed a move to Tottenham, where he seemed to be developing into a decent left-back and not much else when an in-form Benoit Assou-Ekotto returned from injury and pushed him forward to the left-wing under Harry Redknapp. Then began a spell as he rose swiftly to become the best player in the Premier League and was snapped up by Real Madrid for a transfer eclipsing of the best all-time- Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bale was an important member of the side in his first two seasons as he lit the La Liga alight along with Benzema and Ronaldo. Bale has suffered from injury problems more recently and that has contributed his slight decline in form. He retains his massive ability to change the game in a matter of moments however and that is precisely why Real Madrid have inserted a release clause of £892 million in his contract.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (£892 million)

Ronaldo has beaten Messi here without a doubt!

Cristiano Ronaldo. Nothing more need be said even to those who have a passing interest in football. He has been on a constant duel with Lionel Messi to establish his name on the top of all footballing charts but is some distance away from his greatest rival in leading the line along with Real Madrid team-mates Bale and Benzema having a release clause of £892 million in his contract.

Ronaldo, procured by Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon was the first player to come close to a €100 million transfer fee when he signed for Real Madrid in 2009 for a staggering £80 million (€94 million). Ronaldo has since gone to become one of the greatest Real Madrid players of all time. He was the first to have a release clause of €1 Billion or £892 Million.

Lionel Messi, by comparison, has a pocket change release clause of £267 million, once thought to be unreachable. There are rumours that Barcelona want it to touch the mark Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale hold at the very least and could go even higher to make Messi unreachable by any club.

It is still extremely unlikely that these release clauses could be ever met but with so many clubs having annual incomes of entire countries and the increased commercial interests and benefits in sponsoring a move for one these mega-stars, it is not impossible to see the contracts of these players bought out.

Since we got this information from Football Manager 2018, we could breathe easy and immerse ourselves knowing this will not happen in this year's game because all the transfer money comes from the club budget. Realism? You tell me!