opt-out clause in the contract
On June 23, Christopher Nkunku surprisingly extended his contract with RB Leipzig by two more years until 2026. The Bundesliga player of the season, chosen by Transfermarkt users after an outstanding season, could have chosen his new employer – if he had the ” Go” of the Saxons received. “To be honest, there were a few requests, but RB quickly told me that I wasn’t allowed to change,” revealed the offensive player in a “Sport Bild” interview.
The 24-year-old was not angry about that. “No. And I’ll tell you why: It was the first time in my career that my club told me that I’m too important to give up. That is an indescribably good feeling. That trust makes me stronger, and I want to repay that,” Nkunku said. FC Bayern did not appear to have courted him, as his ex-coach Julian Nagelsmann wrote to him “not once” that he should come to the record champions in Munich.
With Nkunku & Haller: The 30 nominees for the 2022 Ballon d’Or
Christopher Nkunku – France | RB Leipzig
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Thibaut Courtois – Belgium | real Madrid
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Rafael Leao – Portugal | A.C.Milan
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Mohamed Salah – Egypt | Liverpool FC
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Joshua Kimmich – Germany | FC Bayern
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Trent Alexander Arnold – England | Liverpool FC
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Vinicius Junior – Brazil | real Madrid
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Bernardo Silva – Portugal | man city
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Luis Díaz – Colombia | Liverpool FC
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Robert Lewandowski – Poland | Barcelona FC
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Riyad Mahrez – Algeria | man city
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Casemiro – Brazil | real Madrid
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Heung-min Son – South Korea | Tottenham
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Karim Benzema – France | real Madrid
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Fabinho – Brazil | Liverpool FC
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Mike Maignan – France | A.C.Milan
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Harry Kane – England | Tottenham Hotspur
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Darwin Nunez – Uruguay | Liverpool FC
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Phil Foden – England | man city
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Sadio Mane – Senegal | FC Bayern
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Sébastien Haller – Ivory Coast | BVB
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Luka Modric – Croatia | real Madrid
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Antonio Ruediger – Germany | real Madrid
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Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal | Man United
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Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium | man city
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Dušan Vlahović – Serbia | Juventus
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Virgil van Dijk – Netherlands | Liverpool FC
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Joao Cancelo – Portugal | man city
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Erling Haaland – Norway | man city
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Kylian Mbappe – France | PSG
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With his scorer values - 20 goals and 15 assists – the professional caused a novelty in the Bundesliga in 2021/22, because never before has a player managed to score 20 goals and 15 assists in one season. His outstanding form and international interest were also reflected in the Frenchman’s market value, which has grown from €43m to €80m over the past season
According to reports, Nkunku is allowed to leave Leipzig for around 60 million euros thanks to a contractually anchored exit clause. “But no one can know what will happen at some point. To say now that I’ll be there in July is a bit crazy,” said the right-winger, who is looked after by star advisor Pini Zahavi.
Nkunku strives for the highest: change necessary for goal world footballer?
If it is up to Nkunku himself, he will one day secure the most prestigious trophy. “If you ask me if I want that: Yes, I want to be a world footballer. That would be the biggest award you can win. It’s a dream, but you should always strive for the highest.” The chance of fulfilling this wish would “of course” increase if you play “in one of the five biggest clubs in the world”.
In 2019, around three years ago, the French national player switched from his youth club to Leipzig for 13 million euros. “Paris Saint-Germain will always be a very special club. PSG gave me my first professional contract, that’s where I took my first steps,” said Nkunku, who described the world title as the biggest goal of his career.
From Matthäus to Lewandowski: all FIFA World Players since 1991
1992: Marco van Basten (AC Milan – Netherlands)
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1995: George Weah (Paris Saint-Germain/AC Milan – Liberia)
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1997: Ronaldo (Inter Milan/FC Barcelona – Brazil)
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2003: Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid – France)
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2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus/Real Madrid – Italy)
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2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchster United – Portugal)
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2009: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona – Argentina)
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2010: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona – Argentina)
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2011: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona – Argentina)
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2012: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona – Argentina)
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2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid – Portugal)
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2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid – Portugal)
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2015: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona – Argentina)
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2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid – Portugal)
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2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid – Portugal)
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2019: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona – Argentina)
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