Gillett effect: Medina joins Botafogo, Estudiantes left with just $100,000 | OneFootball

Cristian Medina is spending his last hours as a player for Estudiantes de La Plata. After playing in the classic platense, it was confirmed that the midfielder will continue his career at Botafogo in Brazil. The deal was unlocked after the Rio de Janeiro club managed to lift a FIFA ban, allowing the investment group that owns the player's rights to finalize the transfer imminently.

Despite the significance of the name and the magnitude of the move, the economic benefit for the "Pincha" will be surprisingly low. Estudiantes will receive just $100,000 as compensation for "showcasing" the player. The possibility of the club retaining a percentage of a future sale was ultimately dismissed, as the player's rights are entirely owned by Foster Gillett, the American businessman who financed his arrival in La Plata in January 2025 after his departure from Boca.

The contractual background of Medina reveals an unusual financial scheme in Argentine football. The player arrived at the club through a $9.7 million loan granted by the Gillett Group to Estudiantes to cover the execution of his release clause from Boca (15 million USD). Although the midfielder signed with the León until 2028, the agreement stipulated that the club would not have rights to any capital gain, limiting its profit to the fee for having showcased the player for a year and two months.

Medina's departure leaves a bittersweet balance at the albirroja institution. While his sporting tenure was brief, institutionally, the repayment of the million-dollar loan to the investment group remains pending, without any extraordinary income from a sale that was orchestrated under an external business structure. Thus, the dream of a future transfer to the Premier League —the original promise of the investment group— turns into a move to Brazilian football that leaves little profit in the coffers of the club from La Plata.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.