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Football is a businessman's game
Jonathan Pertile
Roar Rookie
14th August, 2016
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Paul Pogba's record re-signing with Manchester United. (Supplied)
Jonathan Pertile
Roar Rookie
14th August, 2016
1

As much as the world game is played on a rectangular pitch with access to a boundless number of countries spanning the northern and southern hemispheres, it is also heavily governed by the cash exchanged between business owners.

If capitalism ever taught us one thing, it is that equality drips and stalls with the flow of money.

The traditional ‘big four’ – which was the politically correct label to announce the richest teams in the English Premier League – were Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. They need to be highlighted with a footnote in the next decade. Leicester City are more than £250 million better off than they were before they won the English Premier League title.

West Ham is moving into a new stadium and Tottenham are creating a new stadium too.

The first rule of business is to earn more than you spend. Leicester City won over £90 million on prize money alone for winning the Barclays Premier League, when their squad at the time was worth a sum total of no more than £25 million.

There are managerial decisions and there are those behind the scenes who have more influence than any of those of whom they employ. José Mourinho fell out of favour with Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich only to divide a once patched-up reunion.

Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward only heard the growing chorus of Manchester United supporters chanting to exile Louis van Gaal at its highest pitch.

Woodward exerted his already overwhelming presence beyond Greater Manchester to Juventus’ own Turin – spending over £89 million to bring back Paul Pogba to the Theatre of Dreams.

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Mourinho targeted in his own words “four specialists” who he believed would strengthen Manchester United’s roster considerably. Mourinho alongside a significant co-op in Woodward purchased a quick, tactile defender in Eric Bailly, creative midfield maestro Henrikh Mkhitaryan, mercurial striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the flamboyant but equally consistent Pogba.

The question is not whether Pogba will prove his value because with a five-year contract and an option to extend into a sixth – he more than will. The question is if he can live up to the expectations a wealthy price tag brings?

The best answer may perhaps rest within the pages of the previous Guinness World Records. Gareth Bale’s transfer was worth £85 million and if you watch another La Liga game (not the first though as Cristiano Ronaldo is under an injury cloud) you may see Ronaldo running rampant on the opposing wing – bought from Manchester United for a previous record transfer of £80 million.

I doubt Real Madrid or football fans alike would argue that Ronaldo and Bale were not worth the money; Real Madrid’s two triumphs in the UEFA Champions League since more than helped to pay off the collective debt.

Similar to the dynamic duo of Ronaldo and Bale, Pogba’s all-round talent is mesmerising to put it simply. He is a complete midfielder. Pogba can play tall in midfield, dribble with technical precision which a man of his size (6’3”) should not be able to do and glide the ball gracefully into the top or bottom corners of the net despite shooting from well outside the box.

Importantly, Pogba is a key advertising machine for the sportswear juggernaut Adidas which is also one of Manchester United’s main sponsors. The business partnership Adidas shares with both Pogba and Manchester United will only expand – generating a huge amount of profit for all parties involved.

Diverting away from the round-table to the football pitch, it is not unreasonable to assume Manchester United has a team and a proven manager capable of winning the Barclays Premier League within Pogba’s contract tenure.

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Manchester United’s squad, which was only evolving under a van Gaal academy focused XI has now matured with the influx of experienced players such as Mourinho’s “four specialists.” Marcus Rashford now has two veterans to learn off in Wayne Rooney and Ibrahimovic. Rashford will not have the added pressure to perform game after game as he is no longer a guaranteed first XI player, which should only aid his long-term development.

Manchester United are on track to earn more than £500 million pounds in their upcoming annual turnover despite their lack of success – aside from the FA Cup and Community Shield victories against Crystal Palace and Leicester City respectively.

Though in the first instance, Pogba’s price tag may scare away a passing observer walking beside Carrington’s aisle, £89 million really is not that much for a club of Manchester United’s commercial power – just ask Karl Marx.

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