Money for football

Gareth Bale’s possible move to Real Madrid has become one of the most discussed news this summer. Many reasons have contributed to this situation. First, he has recently won both young player and best player trophies, awarded by Professional Football Association. Second, his team, Tottenham Hotspurs, didn’t manage to play Champions League this coming season, and it is supposed to be an oral agreement between him and the club owners to negotiate in case an important bid for him is received. Third, after Neymar arrival to Barcelona this summer, Real Madrid are willing to strike back announcing another big impact acquisition. Four, the player’s interest in joining Madrid seems to be clear as he is not taking part in any game with Tottenham since the first days of july. Finally, it is unclear whether he will leave or not his club, as his manager, Vilas-Boas, has repeatedly said that he is not for sale.

Summertime is a low activity period for football in Europe, and most of the teams are preparing for the beginning of the season. Consequently, everything dealing on new acquisitions becomes relevant. In unique cases like this, given the importance of the player and the buyer, they can also generate lots of analysis and discussion. 

Several articles focus on financial capacity of Real Madrid to afford this operation, as it has been said that an unprecedented amount of money will be required. It seems that a £100m or similar bid has to be set on the table. Although Real Madrid is meant to be the richest football club in the world, and we are talking about the best player in the Premier League last season, it seems to be an excessive amount of money. Furthermore, UEFA has recently introduced the Financial Fair Play rules, which recommend expenses control at football clubs, in order to reduce their debts. Indeed, Real Madrid €650m debt is supposed to be one of the biggest ones.

At present, EU economies are facing a long recession period. Unemployment is high, hardship touches many families and it is unclear whether this situation will end soon or not. Within this context, undertaking projects involving stunning amounts of money doesn’t seem appropriate. Others might think that this is a way of driving excitement to people, at difficult times like these. There is no doubt on football capacity to generate emotions, and it is clear that millions of people are supporting Real Madrid worldwide. This is something clearly present on his leader’s minds, as they try year after year to get the best players in the world and thus keep fans excitement.

In conclusion, it may seem a not appropriate, not fair, and even not affordable operation, given the current economic context, but there are other considerations to be done. Social problems are surprisingly forgotten when football players go on stage. This may be the reason why, when money seems to be vanishing, there is a place where it is still present. There is always money for football.