Gareth Bale

[gerishep]

If he has an ounce of sense he waits until January.
Zidane could well be gone by Christmas

Replaced by....

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Replaced by....

Mourinho/ Ancelotti/ Zidane/ Mourinho/ Ancelotti/ Zidane

 

[JamieSpursCommunityUser]

I mostly agree with you and wish him all the best in China.

My point is that I don't think we need to have all the facts to be pretty sure he could move to a top european team on a wage of £200k to £300k.

I'm not going to pass judgement on him not choosing to take a pay cut - I have no idea what I would do in the same situation.

But I also think there is enough information out there for it to be clear the money is more important to him than the football and I think it's fair enough for others to criticise him on this basis.

But why? What is it that people feel they are owed by him? That's what I don't get.

Speaking as fans of the game, we can say it's a shame for football not to sell his talents in a big league one last time, especially after how it ended at RM. I would have love to have seen him make a real come back, myself.

But it's his life and career, and really nobody else's business how he choses to prioritise his opportunities in life.

To say nothing of the fact we don't know what kind of shape he's in after 13 years top flight football, and numerous injuries.

 

[Spurger King]

You think?

Evidently more than you, ‘Dr’.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Evidently more than you, ‘Dr’.

Lady of questionable morals, please...

 

[THFCSPURS19]

Still believe we have a chance on this one.

 

[sausage]

Replaced by....

Allardyce, who'll keep them in La Liga

 

[Ronwol196061]

I wonder how many here would turn down 600k or 800k quid a week for a couple of years in another country

 

[LeSoupeKitchen]

But why? What is it that people feel they are owed by him? That's what I don't get.

Speaking as fans of the game, we can say it's a shame for football not to sell his talents in a big league one last time, especially after how it ended at RM. I would have love to have seen him make a real come back, myself.

But it's his life and career, and really nobody else's business how he choses to prioritise his opportunities in life.

To say nothing of the fact we don't know what kind of shape he's in after 13 years top flight football, and numerous injuries.

I agree with you. I don't blame him. All I'm saying is that other people aren't criticising him from a place of complete ignorance.

 

[TEESSIDE1]

It’s not even as if he’s signing for a decent Chinese side, they’re 6th but 23 points off the lead, nearly half their total and marginally above teams 4-5 places below them. The club he was linked with the other day are 2nd and going well... it’s like being offered £1m a week by West Ham and signing for them.

 

[yido-1989]

If he’s been offered a million a week, he’d be crazy to turn that down, take that money for a year then come back to Europe. All this talk about turning down a million a week, stop being stupid. Not one person on this forum would say no.

 

[sausage]

I wonder how many here would turn down 600k or 800k quid a week for a couple of years in another country

I don't think that is the correct context.

It's more a case of "how many people would sacrifice their career standard for a higher salary?". Bale is on around that in Madrid anyway, but it's near the peak of a player's career - footballing-wise.

So compare it more to someone who leaves a top job at Google to earn double at an obscure startup, or like Clattenburg (?) who left the FA to go and ref in Saudi for top dollar, sacrificing a place in the World Cup at the time.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I mostly agree with you and wish him all the best in China.

My point is that I don't think we need to have all the facts to be pretty sure he could move to a top european team on a wage of £200k to £300k.

I'm not going to pass judgement on him not choosing to take a pay cut - I have no idea what I would do in the same situation.

But I also think there is enough information out there for it to be clear the money is more important to him than the football and I think it's fair enough for others to criticise him on this basis.

That's probably where we differ. I think we do, absolutely we do.

 

[yido-1989]

I don't think that is the correct context.

It's more a case of "how many people would sacrifice their career standard for a higher salary?". Bale is on around that in Madrid anyway, but it's near the peak of a player's career - footballing-wise.

So compare it more to someone who leaves a top job at Google to earn double at an obscure startup, or like Clattenburg (?) who left the FA to go and ref in Saudi for top dollar, sacrificing a place in the World Cup at the time.

Obscure start up, You make it sound like he’s signing for a pub team, he’s going to get paid a million a week.

You think Clattenburg cares about reffing the world cup when he’s getting a extra 3-400 grand a year than he would in premier league.

 

[LeSoupeKitchen]

That's probably where we differ. I think we do, absolutely we do.

I hope it all comes out one day. Hopefully he'll explain stuff after the move.

 

[Saoirse]

If he’s been offered a million a week, he’d be crazy to turn that down, take that money for a year then come back to Europe. All this talk about turning down a million a week, stop being stupid. Not one person on this forum would say no.

Obviously can't say with certainty what we'd do in a situation far beyond any of our wildest dreams. But honestly, seriously, if I already had tens of millions (potentially £100m+) in the bank and I could either stay in Europe and play for a big club for £300k a week or go to China for £1m a week, I genuinely think I'd choose the former. At that stage the precise amount of money is really almost an irrelevance. If you re-invest it and things go relatively smoothly, you have practically infinite money anyway - you could live an extraodrindarily lavish lifestyle and still earn more in interest, dividents, increasing asset price etc than you spend in a year anyway. If things don't go smoothly, assets crash, there's hyperinflation etc then the extra millions will prove an irrelevence. The extra money he could earn in China really doesn't let him do much (anything?!) with his life that he can't do already, nor does it seem to provide much extra security.

 

[Ronwol196061]

I don't think that is the correct context.

It's more a case of "how many people would sacrifice their career standard for a higher salary?". Bale is on around that in Madrid anyway, but it's near the peak of a player's career - footballing-wise.

So compare it more to someone who leaves a top job at Google to earn double at an obscure startup, or like Clattenburg (?) who left the FA to go and ref in Saudi for top dollar, sacrificing a place in the World Cup at the time.

He has already done enough.Let him do what he wants. Its his peak of his playing career not somebody elses. He hasn't been too made making choices up to now.His performance at Inter was the best thing that happened to us in a long time at that time and maybe juiced up Levy to begin want to be in the top echelons of the game. If he goes to China for a year he knows what he is doing for himself.Its not 10 or 20

 

[Ronwol196061]

Obviously can't say with certainty what we'd do in a situation far beyond any of our wildest dreams. But honestly, seriously, if I already had tens of millions (potentially £100m+) in the bank and I could either stay in Europe and play for a big club for £300k a week or go to China for £1m a week, I genuinely think I'd choose the former. At that stage the precise amount of money is really almost an irrelevance. If you re-invest it and things go relatively smoothly, you have practically infinite money anyway - you could live an extraodrindarily lavish lifestyle and still earn more in interest, dividents, increasing asset price etc than you spend in a year anyway. If things don't go smoothly, assets crash, there's hyperinflation etc then the extra millions will prove an irrelevence. The extra money he could earn in China really doesn't let him do much (anything?!) with his life that he can't do already, nor does it seem to provide much extra security.

Its also possible an steroid will hit us. I think its better to think positive that's how people have survived for thousands of years

 

[sausage]

Obscure start up, You make it sound like he’s singing for a pub team, he’s going to get paid a million a week.

Where does the top Chinese league rank in world football? The entire point of my post was to differentiate between pay and career quality.

 

[yido-1989]

Where does the top Chinese league rank in world football? The entire point of my post was to differentiate between pay and career quality.

Doesn’t matter where the Chinese league ranks, If he only goes there for a year and gets paid enough, it will be hard to turn down.