If my profession offered me the opportunity to go and live in China for a few years I’d consider it. I’d prefer the US or Japan, but I’d certainly consider China.
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
[Football] Gareth Bale: What a waste
- Thread starter Hugo Rune
- Start date
Barham's tash
Well-known member
Despite being at Madrid for 4 years he’s not learned a single word of Spanish and refuses to join the squad for customary post match family dinners saying dinner time is 6pm not 11pm.
Think it’s one of squad integration and cultural isolation rather than Zidane being a cock.
Megazone
On his last warning
Has football now got to a point where the fans (the ones who pay to see these players) base a footballers career on the money he earns? This is what they do in the US with their sports stars. Everything is based around their economic success rather than their sporting ability. Now it's creeping into Football.
Soon we'll have league tables for the top earning soccer players who've picked up the most goals and assists bonuses in their career. Fans, forgetting they pay to be entertained, will be claiming players should go to China or Kuwait for better wages and better sponsorship deals even so they're already on hundreds of thousands a week where they are.
Eventually children of the sport will grow up dreaming of signing a multi million pound contract rather than scoring a last minute winner in a cup final. Kids will know how much a player earned throughout his career. Kids will be inspired by greed.
"That Paul Kitson was good at Brighton. He pretty much never played but yet earned himself a whole years wages. He must've been good"
"You think that's good? Bale's going over to China to earn a million a week and yet he won't have to break sweat the whole time he's there"
Soon we'll have league tables for the top earning soccer players who've picked up the most goals and assists bonuses in their career. Fans, forgetting they pay to be entertained, will be claiming players should go to China or Kuwait for better wages and better sponsorship deals even so they're already on hundreds of thousands a week where they are.
Eventually children of the sport will grow up dreaming of signing a multi million pound contract rather than scoring a last minute winner in a cup final. Kids will know how much a player earned throughout his career. Kids will be inspired by greed.
"That Paul Kitson was good at Brighton. He pretty much never played but yet earned himself a whole years wages. He must've been good"
"You think that's good? Bale's going over to China to earn a million a week and yet he won't have to break sweat the whole time he's there"
Megazone
On his last warning
Hasn't Bale been at Madrid for 6 years?
Should really enjoy China and learning Mandarin then ....................................
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
You’d have to be incredibly thick (or VERY lazy) to live in a country for six years or even one year and not pick up a decent understanding and use of a language. Are you sure?
Barham's tash
Well-known member
Probably I couldn’t be bothered to look it up but that makes it worse. I’d read rumours about his lack of integration a year or so after his move and I just couldn’t fathom why someone in his position wouldn’t absorb as much of Spanish life as possible.
Barham's tash
Well-known member
I’ve read it from multiple sources. Zidane’s English is by his own admission limited so it often leads to one of the other English speaking players having to play translator - that can’t help...
https://en.as.com/en/2019/02/17/football/1550424158_081637.html
Jim Van Winkle
Well-known member
Give him a break. I’ve been in America for 7 years and still struggle with the language.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Give him a break. I’ve been in America for 7 years and still struggle with the language.
Yeah but I guess you’ve been asleep most of the time
Jim Van Winkle
Well-known member
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,949
No, it clearly hasn't. Bale will disappear from our consciousness if he goes to China, except when he plays for Wales.
But for the player himself...he's had a lot of success at the highest level, including scoring the winner in a CL final with a stunning overhead kick.
He could go on chasing trophies, some would, but I wouldn't bother in his situation. I agree, totally, that he has earned enough money to keep him and his family living in luxury for generations, so in his position I would not be bothered about the money. If it were me, I would choose to play in places that would be interesting to live in. I might give Lisbon a go, or Valencia. Maybe New York, LA or Portland. Buenos Aries, or Rio.
Still a high enough level to keep me (him) interested, but life experiences would be so much more enriched.
To do this, he would have to take a massive cut in his wages, but why would he care? He has absolutely no need to earn more, and would still be richly rewarded.
Beckham had it sorted leaving Manchester for Madrid, LA, Milan and Paris. Kudos to the guy.Even Craig Noone has sorted himself a place in Melbourne!
Many will disagree with me - they always do when I posit this opinion. But to me, life experiences outside of the workplace eclipse ambition in order of importance.
Guy Fawkes
The voice of treason
- Sep 29, 2007
- 8,297
However Real have a budget to stick to due to FFP, are they in a position to pay his contract (or a large proportion of it up) to release him so he can join someone else. How is that going to appear in the accounts? will that big payment appear in a single years figures, in which case it would make it even harder for them to recruit a replacement as they will have significantly less to spend than if they kept paying him
Would a club really agree to pay off an asset and then give it to someone else to use for free? is that good business sense?
By getting a team elsewhere to take him on instead, like China, they are able to remove that cost without having to pay him an enormous amount of money first (and he could still end up signing the same contract that he will now in China so ends up with even more if he was paid off first by Real) If a club in China take on his contract, Real free up funds to spend elsewhere and can spend that money on their team rather than it being dead money if used to pay off Bale
Megazone
On his last warning
He's playing a game for a living and that form of living doesn't last very long so enjoy it while you can. It's a dream come true. He's got his whole life to move to Valencia, Rio, Droylsden, Paris, Tokyo etc and considering he's going to have all the free time in the world for the remainder of his life once he retires with endless amounts of cash already. Why not make the most of your dreams and aspirations whilst you still can and finish your career positively ? Money really isn't the answer to everything, especially ones happiness.
Ferguson once said nothing will ever beat playing professional football. It doesn't matter what money you earn or how good you end up as a manager, playing football is and should always be the dream.
Guy Fawkes
The voice of treason
- Sep 29, 2007
- 8,297
That's like saying how about we have smaller TV contracts and return that money to the viewers. Nice in principle, however it's driven by market forces and not sentiment.
Sky are only able to pay that huge sum for TV rights because they get enough revenue to be able to afford it, and they feel they have to bid that high to ensure that they are able to win the bids to be able to offer live games as a part of their schedule
Players (and agents) have the power, (Blame the Bosman ruling) clubs chase the inflated riches and pour in too much money trying to ensure that they gain the services of players that they feel can make them successful (at whatever level) - the number of high quality players is limited so you have a large number of clubs competing for a smaller number of players, which is where prices and wage demands skyrocket (simple market forces at work)
Despite incomes that dwarf what they used to be in this country not that many years ago, how many clubs are breaking even or making a profit in the UK? If they are making losses, they have to exploit as many revenue streams as possible to try to close that gap, and that means charging more for fans to be able to watch.
Plenty of moans from fans about our lack of signings, but to get players in, we will have to pay the going rate and pay the high wage demands they are after, it's not like a club can say we will pay 20% less and return that to the fans as the player simply will not take that deal and go elsewhere
That’s Ferguson’s view. But plenty of footballers aren’t as interested. Even Zamora once said he wasn’t that bothered. I have no idea what it’s like to be in Bale’s position but I’m in the twilight of my working life and if someone offered me twice my salary, for half the effort, in China, I think I’d go.
If there’s any head-hunters out there, please PM me.
Pretty sure Bale would choose living in Barry over Lisbon, America etc.
Even by British footballer standards he is not much of a culture vulture
Megazone
On his last warning
Which he used pre-match to motivate his teams in the dressing room. It definitely worked. Ferguson's teams were always credited for their never say die winning attitude
I remember when Bobby said this. It was in reference to staying in football once he retires. I know he's put money into a social housing scheme (good on him) with Rio Ferdinand and Mark Noble, so I can see why he made that statement at the time. But the reality is, Bobby is back in football and has a job as a club ambassador for Brighton. Sounds like he is bothered about football after all.
I would pay to play top flight football. Stuff going to China.
Last edited:
Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ
Hove / Παρος
Moved called off by Real Madrid apparently 
Jim Van Winkle
Well-known member
Back to polishing his trophy cabinet, playing golf and having early nights in Madrid then.