29-05-2025
😲 15kg of sausages force footballer to retire early!
In the international football business, millions are at stake - especially when it comes to transfers. But in a curious case from 2006, a player didn't switch clubs for money, but for 15 kilograms of sausage.
What sounds like a bad joke is bitter reality: Welcome to the world of Marius Cioara!
The Romanian defender played for fourth-division UT Arad before moving to second-division Regal Hornia. But instead of a classic transfer fee, they opted for a more substantial solution: meat instead of money. Whether with or without mustard is unfortunately not documented.
What sounds like a tasty PR stunt had bitter consequences for Cioara. The day after the transfer, he announced his retirement - out of shame.
Apparently, the sausage theme was exploited a bit too enthusiastically in his new club. "The sausage jokes just got too much," the player complained to a local newspaper. He didn't lose his sense of humor, though: "I would have gotten more from the Germans."
Did you know?Marius Cioara was transferred from UT Arad to Regal Hornia in 2006 for 15 kilograms of sausage meat.
— 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋 (@Fatal_LFC) November 10, 2024
How right the man was - in Germany, they don't know any jokes about this topic!
Cioara promptly left football and turned to a down-to-earth job on a Spanish farm. Whether he was able to find his personal peace there is unfortunately not documented.
Regal Hornia, on the other hand, demanded the sausages back - probably in the hope of being able to compensate their own fans with a barbecue party in case of a sporting failure.
In the world of culinary football transfers, Cioara is no longer alone. In Norway, player Kenneth Kristiansen once switched clubs for 75 kilograms of shrimp. The kicker: The amount corresponded exactly to his body weight. The chairman of the new club commented dryly: "No problem, we have enough shrimp."
These stories show: Football is not only a game full of emotions, but apparently also full of taste - sometimes even in the literal sense.
And who knows: Maybe a player will be transferred for a pallet of frozen pizzas to Italy or a year's supply of meatballs to Sweden soon. Well, bon appétit, in any case!
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 Michael Dodge - 2018 Getty Images
