Idiosyncratic Assets

On the Assetization of Football Players

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v55i221.2211

Keywords:

Assetization, Assets, Football, Investors, Transfers

Abstract

Increased transfer volumes and costly transfers, particularly of young talented players characterize the current state of men’s professional football in Europe. In light of these phenomena and against the backdrop of changes in club ownership, this article analyzes the assetization of football players: how did players become assets and what does this mean? Such a process was not without conflict; rather, it involved negotiations on the extraction of income, the distribution of risks in player transfers and the regulation of player registrations. The perspective of football players as assets developed here ultimately reveals the investor’s view of football.

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Published

2025-12-02

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How to Cite

Idiosyncratic Assets: On the Assetization of Football Players. (2025). PROKLA. Journal of Critical Social Science, 55(221), 667-687. https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v55i221.2211