Football has evolved over the past two decades involving the financial side of the coin, and it continues to do so.
Nowadays, players have more power and wealth than ever before, which for me is a sign of more negatives than positives for the game.
Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in the world, has devoted all his life to his childhood club Barcelona in Spain. The club helped him overcome a growth hormone deficiency at 13, paying for his medical treatment. Since then, Messi has given back to them by helping the club win trophies and scoring many goals in the process.
The contract extension was met with relief among fans, knowing beforehand that there was some doubt over whether he would stay.
Big spenders Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City offered lucrative bids, which Messi was having second thoughts about. With money the key factor in Messi’s mind at the time, it only shows how times have changed.
Paolo Maldini. Francesco Totti. Steven Gerrard. Alessandro Del Piero. These were legends that put their childhood clubs before money, because for them it was about representing a club with passion and emotion.
Juventus’ relegation to Serie B over a decade ago is a great example. Legends such as Del Piero, Buffon and Nedved all chose the colours of black and white before money. Zlatan Ibrahimovic left because of money, taking the easy way out.
(AAP Image/NEWZULU/MIQUEL LLOP)
Totti once said, “they taught us in school that family is the most important thing, did you ever hear of someone who left his poor parents to live with rich strangers?.” A quote like this will never be heard of again.
Loyalty is a thing of the past now, but how did it all come to this?
1995 is where it all started, with a player named Jean-Marc Bosman who wished to move to another club with his contract expiring. This was overruled by FIFA’s governing body, which is now referred to as a ‘Bosman transfer’ when players leave as free agents.
Prior to the Bosman ruling, professional clubs in some parts of Europe were able to prevent players from joining a club in another country even if their contracts had expired.
This has changed the complex of transfer business. Players with one year on their contract for example have the power to force a move away elsewhere as clubs don’t want to lose out on money for the player.
The mid 2000s came along and it was there where ownership started to be a controlling factor in the world of football.
Many billionaires have decided to spend crazy amounts of money on clubs with billionaires such as Roman Abramovich of Chelsea, Sheikh Mansour of Manchester City and Nasser Al-Khelaifi of PSG.
To be fair, the billions being spent have helped those three clubs mentioned win domestic league titles and have helped compete in the Champions League (and so it should), but it doesn’t change the fact that its simply just a game about who can offer the most money, something that in my view shouldn’t be happening.
UEFA have introduced the Financial Fair Play system where a certain amount of revenue needs to be made by a club in order to spend big, which has resulted in transfer bans to big clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
However, these punishments and rule changes are never going to fix the problem completely.
Every summer transfer window seems to read the headline ‘record transfer fee’. Having a world record fee on your back is hard not to think about as a professional, just ask Paul Pogba.
After being poorly treated in Manchester, he said in an interview that he never wanted to come back. The Frenchman was considered a flop since his move back to Manchester United for $105 million.
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This market inflation doesn’t do any favours for any players. Just let them be and get on with the game. Ridiculous amounts of money shouldn’t be needed.
Agents are a nightmare in the modern game. They are now able to control their clients futures simply for their own benefits of earning as much money as possible.
Mino Raiola is a real culprit of this. He was able to pocket $27 million of the transfer money for Paul Pogba’s move from Juventus to Manchester United.
Just recently, young teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma stated that he wanted to stay at AC Milan for life and be captain one day because he was a supporter growing up. He refused a $6 million contract extension, simply because he had Raiola whispering in his ear encouraging him to move to Real Madrid or PSG because of the promise of more money.
That money being spent on already rich agents should be going towards better causes such as the grassroots setup at youth academies.
It sums up what is wrong with modern day football.
I understand that large amounts of money being thrown around can help small clubs kick on and create a healthy economy in world football, but don’t expect loyalty to appear at your favourite club.
Unfortunately, Messi’s attachment to one club will most definitely be the last we witness.
clipper
Guest
Notherner - I absolutely get the point - this is why I though Nemesis could've phrased it better and I was giving him a bit of leeway. Nadal would be an exception in the tennis world - such is his skill and determination that the injuries haven't stopped him from getting, so far, 15 GS. However, other players, like Philloposus, Mecir, Soderling have had their careers curtailed because of them - whether physical or mental, they can really impact on how well you do overall. It is quite amazing, like Nadal, how well Buddy has performed and come back after his illness.
northerner
Guest
@Clipper - sorry, but have to disagree with you on this. Very strongly. This is an issue that actually matters. Nemesis was very clear - he was obviously referring to Buddy's break from the game because of mental health issues and using it as to support his argument about those who are "mentally soft." And I find that repugnant. Lots of players in lots of sports take breaks because of physical issues, and mental health issues are no different. Would you claim that Nadal is "physically soft" because he's had to take a number of the breaks from the game due to injury? I doubt it. Is a football player "soft" if the gets a serious knee or ankle injury that requires reconstruction? Nope. But getting a mental illness is being "soft." Nope, it isn't. And it's time fans started to understand what the sporting world (all codes) is coming to grips with. Mental illness is an illness and it can happen to anyone, anytime - just like a torn muscle or a concussion. It is not being "soft" or "flabby." It is an illness, not a weakness. I stand by that.
clipper
Guest
northerner - I understand the point Nemesis was making in regard to tennis, just think he didn't phrase it the best. Unfortunately, being mostly an individual sport, it is a lot tougher to maintain your peak in tennis, where most players are pretty close, that to lose focus would give an opponent the edge.
Mad Dog
Guest
Haha pretty much my point. I would replace 'contracts are' with 'loyalty is' in your last sentence and it would be perfect
LuckyEddie
Guest
The players only commitment is lining their already bulging pockets.
northerner
Guest
Nemesis: I quote - " People have no problem calling players physically “soft”. We should have no problem calling a player mentally soft. " Yes, we damn well should have a problem calling someone with a mental illness "soft." People will call a player physically soft if he has the ability to become stronger or better, but is too lazy to make the effort. People, or at least those who aren't sociopaths, do not call a player physically soft when he contracts an injury or illness that prevents him from playing. Yet you feel fine calling people mentally soft if they have an illness that prevents them from playing, temporarily or permanently, when you would never consider it if it were an ankle or knee injury that was at issue. You are utterly ignorant on this issue. Educate yourself. And move on into the 21st century with the rest of us.
Nemesis
Guest
I never said it wasn't an illness. A physical illness will prevent a person from maintaining peak physical conditioning. A mental illness will prevent a person from maintaining peak mental conditioning. If my body is prone to breaking under stress, it will impede my performance as a professional athlete. If my mind is prone to breaking under stress, it will impeded my performance as a professional athlete. If you can't handle this truth, then that's too bad.
northerner
Guest
Unbelievable. Having a mental illness is not being "mentally soft" any more than getting cancer is being "physically soft." They're illnesses, not character flaws. Like I said, Nemesis. You and your attitudes belong to a previous century. I expect you'd have been one of those cheering on the execution of shell-shocked soldiers for "lacking moral fiber" if you'd been around in 1917. One last time: mental illness is not a weakness, it's an illness. And it is one that people can and do recover from. It has nothing to do with one's quality as a person or a sportsman. There is nothing further to be said about ignorance such as yours.
Nemesis
Guest
@northerner Stop being precious. Mental toughness is just as important for success in professional sport as physical toughness. People have no problem calling players physically "soft". We should have no problem calling a player mentally soft. It's not opinion, it's medical fact that has been verified by the player.
northerner
Guest
Nemesis: that comment about Franklin was appalling, unforgiveable in fact. This is the 21st century and most educated people understand that mental illness is an illness, not a weakness of character. Maybe it's time you went Back to Where You Came From - which appears to be the 1950s.
Nemesis
Guest
1) Well, one thing for sure Nick Reiwoldt should've stuck to sport that didn't require kicking a ball with any accuracy 2) Maybe Franklin could've have achieved technical proficiency in tennis. From the evidence we have, Franklin has issues that indicate he would struggle with the mental rigours required for professional tennis.
Casper
Guest
Daley Thompson said that Nick Reiwoldt could have been a 400m Olympian. Pat Cash said that if a 5 year old Buddy Franklin had started playing tennis instead, he could have been a Wimbledon champion. It's not people from the AFL community pumping their tyres.
Nemesis
Guest
The AFL community (media & fans) regularly make the claim "if AFL players played football, Australia would dominate The Game". It's utter nonsense. I've never heard any footballer ever suggest that he could've been a world class golfer, or tennis player, or swimmer, etc. etc. Only the AFL community like to suggest their players are the best athletes in Australia and those allegedly best athletes would dominate the Summer Olympics, the Fifa WC, the NFL, the NBA, etc if they had chosen those sports.. My comment about mental focus refers to the fact that elite sports people who compete in global sports need more than technical ability. The majority need to leave the security of home family & friends at a young age, move to a different culture & work. AFL players get homesick when they move interstate. Same country. Same culture. Same language. Same currency. But, they don't have the mental toughness to focus on the job, they give up & want to come home. At the most extreme, the life of the young tennis player must be the most mentally challenging in global sport. From mid teens you're living out of a suitcase. That requires a mental toughness that's beyond anything faced by those playing domestic club sports.
chris
Guest
He really gets under your skin doesn't he?
RBBAnonymous
Guest
Don't you know why? Its always the players fault. In the case of John Terry leaving it must be because he got more money at Villa. Yes, only because Chelsea didn't want to give him a new contract, same happened to Del Piero at Juventus and countless other potential "one club legends". Contracts are a two way street, once Christian realizes this he might have an epiphany of sorts about what he has written in this article.
Mad Dog
Guest
Serious question Christian. Why is it only up to the players to remain loyal to a single club. Why does nobody talk about clubs being loyal to long serving players? Why do you expect a player to be loyal when clubs like chelsea got rid of Terry, man utd got rid of Rooney? Im sure there are countless others. John Terry gave the best years of his career to chelsea and as soon as he's deemed to be 'not good enough/worth the money' he gets the boot. Loyalty died in sport the same day money got involved in my view. And just because a football club inspires passion and other feelings of sentiment to one person doesnt mean it cant just be a temporary employer to someone chasing money
Mad Dog
Guest
I bet if someone put the cash on the table and one stack was 5 times as big your story would change
marcel
Guest
So Christian, does this mean you will be staying at McDonald's for the rest of your life?
Christian Montegan
Roar Pro
Calm down shaza ???
Al-Shazahd
Guest
"Saudi Arabia"? Nice try at being funny you numpty