Bettor.com analyzes what has really become of the game, which is more for the money rather than the glory when it came to transfers in this feature series.
Once football used to be a noble sport. Players worked in the mines for most of the week, but come the weekend were heralded as heroes who captured the imagination of the public with their abilities.
Even during the era of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-Maradona-c11160, footballers loved the game and money was only an object with which they paid bills. The beautiful game as they call it, was always given the priority.
Sadly the world has moved since then and now the professionals in top leagues such as the Premier League, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A can command exorbitant wages, up to £12 million per year.
Thus leading to the eventual transition from a sport to a money-making machine. Take http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 legend is a figure hailed in London for tough-tackling and no nonsense defending and he recently startled the media by saying:
"I will sign every contract Arsenal put in front of me without reading it.”
The timing was impeccable. The jibe was perfect and was aimed at one of the vilest names the Emirates Stadium has known in recent years- http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Samir-Nasri-c32360.
As a midfielder, he garnered impressive reviews for his performances in the 2010/11 campaign but a lack of silverware thrust open his gluttonous side and he eventually joined Manchester City, foregoing the chance to help the Gunners some real pride.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Moura-c26908’s determination to land a healthier financial package was one of the main reasons why his move to Manchester United was blocked, but does money get more value in today’s world than a chance to ply at one of Europe’s biggest clubs and under the
tutelage of perhaps the greatest manager in history?
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gary-Neville-c14447 offered a glaring perspective of what has happened since the launch of the Premiership and claimed that during his heydays he signed a youth contract at Old Trafford worth only £20 per week.
Carrying on, the right-back also added that he would play without any wages for the Red Devils if it ever came to that.
On the other hand, stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimović, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Robin-van-Persie-c31380 and Nasri are threatening to destroy the spirit of the game by forcing their employers to shell out enormous wages, without any check on their spending.
One of the most volatile transfers to have taken place is the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carlos-c8346 Tevez saga.
The Argentinean made Manchester his home after putting in some sublime performances for the Red Devils and Sir http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alex-c4752 Ferguson sought to make his stay permanent.
However, he chose part ways with the club after a row over his contract and joined neighbours Manchester City in their ambitions to become top dogs in Europe through abnormal spending.
Tevez has hardly settled at the Etihad and it has showed that when loyalties are divided, careers usually go down the drain.
Fergie, who still honours the old traditions, put it best after Moura refused to sign a deal with United.
"In the conditions of European football, you don't qualify for Europe by winning the league or coming second - you only get in by invitation. That's where, hopefully, UEFA can have some power. When somebody's paying 45 million Euros for a 19-year-old boy
you have to say the game's gone mad,” said the exasperated Scotsman.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect the official editorial policy of Bettor.com
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