How many top players nowadays have that attitude where if they were playing for their boyhood club would turn down the opportunity to play elsewhere for more money? Off the top of my head, of the players still playing today, I could only think of Messi who has rejected more money in order to stay at the club that he has played for since the age of 13. So, is loyalty in football just a romantic idea? Certainly, when it comes to money it seems to be.
Transfer fees
Football contracts
When Rafael Van der Vaart signed for Real Betis in 2015, he agreed with the club that he could wear any football boots he wants but under no circumstances could the boots contain the colour red as this was the colour of their rivals, Sevilla. Van der Vaart received €114,000 each month for 14 months for this clause. Balotelli, as stated in his contract, would be paid a half a million euros should he avoid any trouble on or off the pitch. It’s safe to say that he never saw a cent of that money. Just on a side note Balotelli was once pulled over by police with £25,000 cash in the passenger seat and when he was asked why, he replied: “because I’m rich”. I could go on and on about clauses in players contracts but that’d take too long and I’m not trying to bring up my word count.
Everything revolves around money in football and there’s nothing to indicate this will change. Players demands are going to get worse. It’s getting to the stage where players can get whatever they want because clubs think that they are worth it (when I say “worth it”, I mean the clubs think the value comes from the ability of the player to help them achieve their financial goals). Where does it stop? The club owners and managers are just as bad, in my opinion, for giving into some requests from players. Don’t give the players anymore power than they already think they have. Bring them back to the old days and see what a manager would say if a young Neymar came up to them and asked them for money to greet fans. He would probably be docked 2-weeks wages and be told to stand on the pitch so that all the other players could take turns two-footing him. Scandalous how they can get away with it these days, but I suppose that’s just the football world now and while I don’t agree with it, I am available for contract signing at any time.
Author: Shane Harris
4th Year Recreation and Sport Management Student