What is the Bosman rule & how it changed football forever?

Under the Bosman rule players could part ways with their club for free after the expiration of their deal.

“Once the European Court of Justice ruled that clubs no longer had to pay transfer fees after the expiration of a player’s contract, all hell broke loose. Suddenly it was a free-for-all.” – Sir Alex Ferguson, Leading, 2015

Jean-Marc Bosman, a little-known Belgian midfielder, helped transform football twenty years ago. His legal battle led to the Bosman ruling (Bosman rule) which has enabled some of the biggest moves in the game.

Here we examine the origin of the well-known ‘Bosman’ rule and its effects on the current game.

Who is Jean-Marc Bosman?

A 25-year-old Bosman’s deal with Belgian team RFC Liege was about to expire in 1990. After his two-year stay did not go as planned. Dunkirk, a French second-division team, offered the Belgian midfielder a better contract.

Back in the day, a player could not part ways with his club at the end of their contract unless the club consented to let him go for free or received an agreed-upon amount from the purchasing club.

Liege wanted a price that was well beyond Dunkirk’s capabilities. As a result, the agreement fell through and Bosman’s wages at Liege were reduced by about 75%.

Five years of legal disputes followed which were finally resolved on December 15, 1995, when the Bosman rule came into effect transforming contemporary football.

Bosman’s battle with the club

Bosman started his battle with attorneys Luc Misson and Jean-Louis Dupont and took the issue to the European Court of Justice against the Belgian FA, RFC Liege, and UEFA, Citing the 1957 Treaty of Rome, which protected players’ freedom of movement anywhere in Europe.

Bosman’s playing career, meanwhile, ended abruptly. He only had brief stints with Saint Quentin and Saint-Denis in France, as well as a few lower-league clubs. He was banned by the Belgian federation for refusing to sign Liege’s lower-price deal. Most other clubs weren’t interested in him.

During their battle with the club, Bosman, along with his lawyers Misson and Dupont, faced several major challenges, but the 1995 ruling has had a lasting impact on football ever since.

The ‘Bosman’ rule

The decision gave a player the ability to leave a team on a free transfer as soon as his contract ended, giving them the power to demand exorbitant salaries and signing bonuses from other teams.

Players nearing the end of their contract could also seek a better contract from the clubs who may be afraid of losing them for nothing if their requests are not fulfilled.

According to Ferguson, the player was given the power, which led to the creation of the agent. Many others questioned whether the Bosman verdict would have a favourable long-term impact.

In an interview with The Guardian, Bosman himself said: “Now the 25 or so richest clubs transfer players for astronomical sums and smaller clubs cannot afford to buy at those prices.

“So the 25 pull further and further away from the rest, deepening the gap between big and small. That was not the aim of the Bosman ruling.”

Which players have benefitted from Bosman’s win?

At the time, the decision made it easier for a number of players to make significant moves, including Steve McManaman (Liverpool to Real Madrid, 1999), Brian Laudrup (Rangers to Chelsea, 1998), and Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert (Ajax to AC Milan, 1996 and 1997).

While Michael Ballack (Bayern to Chelsea, 2006), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan to Juventus, 2011), and Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund to Bayern, 2014) have all made the most of the Bosman rule. Over the years there have been a lot of big names players who have benefited from the rule and it continues to play a massive part in the world of football.

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