Anthony Martial's youth team to get £270K from Manchester United transfer fee
An amateur, sixth-tier football club in the suburbs of Paris is a little bit richer thanks to Anthony Martial and his move to Manchester United.
The 19-year-old Martial became the most expensive teenager in world football on Tuesday after United agreed to pay Monaco a record £36 million for the French striker.
His first club, CO Les Ulis, which also produced Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra, now stands to take £270,000 from the fee. It means years of financial security in an area recovering from a recession.
"It will cover up to four or five years of our budget," Les Ulis coach Mamadou Niakate told The Associated Press. "We are always struggling to make ends meet. This money will help us secure existing jobs and renew our equipment."
Niakate says the club, which is located in a small town of 25,000 southwest of Paris, had to recycle the same footballs and shirts over the past four years.
That all changes with the windfall from the Martial transfer.
Related: Manchester United completes signing of Anthony Martial from AS Monaco
Under FIFA rules, youth teams are entitled to compensation for a player that they developed. But the "solidarity mechanism" only applies between the ages of 12 and 23.
Henry left Les Ulis before he was 12, and therefore his subsequent moves brought back nothing to the club. It did receive £38,000 in development fees from Evra.
"But this is not just about the money," said Niakate. "Our main satisfaction is that someone from Les Ulis is able to join such a prestigious club as Manchester United."
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