5 Premier League stars with Ballon d'Or clauses after Anthony Martial revelation

The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in world football as the winner is declared the best player on the planet

As such, the game's leading lights often have certain clauses and bonuses surrounding the prize y written into contracts and triggered should a player achieve the ultimate feat.

The Premier League hasn't housed a winner since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, and Virgil van Dijk was agonisingly close to ending the drought in 2019 - but was just pipped to the prize by Lionel Messi.

But the so-called 'Ballon d'Or clause' has remained a key component for a number of top players over recent years.

Mirror Football has taken a look at five Premier League stars that have such a clause in their contract, including Manchester United's No.9...

Anthony Martial

Manchester United included a clause in their agreement with Monaco that they would have to pay an extra £7.2million bonus if the Frenchman went on to win the individual award.

That was on top of the initial £36million splurged, in a deal that, ultimately, could cost the Red Devils upto £58million.

Monaco believed that the accomplishment was "very realistic" for Martial, although have since eaten their words as the Frenchman has failed to deliver after winning the Golden Boy award back in 2015.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times

Although Ballon d'Or winners from the Premier League have been a rarity, five-time winner Ronaldo is now back in England, and is as likely as anyone in the division to end the drought.

The 36-year-old re-signed for United after 12 years away from the club on Deadline Day this summer, and has already picked up where he left off, scoring five goals across all competitions.

According to the Daily Star, Ronaldo has three standout bonuses in addition to his basic £475,000-a-week salary at Old Trafford, meaning that the Portuguese star will bag an additional £1m for United winning the Champions League, or if he wins the Ballon d'Or or UEFA Player of the Year.

Ronaldo took a huge drop in wages to join United for a second time, as the star was earning close to £900,000-a-week in total at Juventus before returning to England.

Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's best player ( Image:

Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah has been a revelation at Liverpool, and the Egyptian has helped his side win the Premier League and Champions League since signing from AS Roma in 2017.

The Egyptian has been the club's top scorer in every season, and has started the current campaign off in exceptional style, being hailed as one of the best in world football right now.

According to Spanish outlet Don Balon, Salah has a 'secret clause' inserted into his Liverpool contract that states that if the Egyptian does not win the Ballon d'Or with Liverpool, he can demand a transfer to either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Salah is yet to sign a new deal at Liverpool and concerns are growing over the forward's future, so a move to La Liga could be on the cards.

Thiago Alcantara

Thiago Alcantara signed for Liverpool in 2020 ( Image:

Getty Images)

Liverpool announced the signing of Thiago Alcantara in 2020, as the Spanish midfielder signed a four-year deal at Anfield after ending his stay with Bayern Munich.

The classy midfielder was signed for a cut-price £26m deal, with £6m coming from performance related clauses and bonuses that could have to be paid to the German champions. Reports claim just £5m was paid up front.

These include the Reds winning both the Premier League and Champions League again as Thiago would likely play a significant part in those victories, and there are also triggers relating to individual prizes that he may win while he's at Liverpool, including the Ballon d'Or.

Thiago endured a tough start to his Liverpool career as injuries played a part of his first season at Anfield alongside the ongoing worldwide pandemic, but there is still plenty expected to come from the Spaniard.

Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes has become one of the Premier League's best players

Bruno Fernandes was signed by United in 2020 with many claiming that the Portuguese star restored the winning mentality at Old Trafford, following their turnaround in form following his arrival.

Having scored 15 goals for Sporting Lisbon before the January transfer window opened, United looked to capitalise on the midfielder's form and signed Fernandes in a deal worth £42m.

United agreed to pay €5million (£4.5m) after the 26-year-old made 20 appearances for the club, and their Champions League qualification saw them pay out another €5million that year.

Sporting prepared for the future, and also saw a clause inserted for when Fernandes reached 50 appearances and secured a Ballon d'Or clause too.