Never c. Couldn't deal with the weather, the lack of people I could speak to, the massive journeys to games and the fact my family (were they to exist in this hypothetical reality) wouldn't want to move to Russia! If it were a team at spurs level or boyhood club, I'd wait for a year - maybe more if things looked to be coming together. So a Valencia, spurs, Liverpool, Leverkusen etc - one tier below the "greats". But otherwise if "big club" came calling I'd move. I'd want something shiny to remember my playing days with other than coinage... Want guarantees over gametime though. I do not count Chelsea or man c wages and potential for trophies higher than I'd count regularly being able to walk out in front of the crowds.
When most players start out, they are fans, so we can't fully understand how their mentality changes from being a fan who just loves the game and wants to play for his beloved team, to them a footballer who is just doing a job and has ambitions to win the best trophies while earning what they are deserve and being respected The fan aspect goes (the majority of the time), unless you're shearer (who is a twat but deserves some respect for sticking with his boyhood club when he could have signed for utd and won a shed load of trophies).. Thats why i never have any real issue when players like Modric want to go, or Bale wants to go, in terms of hating them, yes I'm gutted to see (or would be), them leave, but they left a smaller club for us, so if a bigger club comes in and offers them what we can't, then how can you expect them to turn them down? its rare for that to happen.
Gotta be careful how we answer this one, as it's basically the Gareth Bale situation, with a bit of Bernard's thrown in. - just makes us look "deluded" or "bitter" if our reasons for answering aren't totally justified. From a personal point of view, the first thing i would consider is the impact it has on my family and friends and how my life would change, which would in turn, affect theirs. If option A is playing for a club such as spurs in the top domestic league, money wouldn't be any concern whatsoever. Every player in this league is earning amazing money, but a small % get to earn the massive bucks. If you can't be happy earning say.... £100,000 a month in salary, then there's something very wrong. at the end of the day, that sort of money makes you rich, without having to have a care in the world. Especially when you consider sponsorship deals on top. I'm not a greedy person, I never have been, so if the money was similar to that which i have mentioned above, I wouldn't need to consider leaving. Therefore I'd choose option A and remain settled. Becoming a club legend wouldn't be something I'd care about. It'd be nice, but my reasons for staying wouldn't be driven by that. I would have no interest in moving to a european country and having to learn a new language. it's just not me. But if another big domestic club came along who were close by, but not necessarily a direct rival, and wanted to sign me, I'd make the switch for the trophies. it wouldn't be about money though. But it'd have to be a move like Everton to United, for example. They arent far down the road from one another, and it wouldn't affect anything outside of work that I'm not already used to. Basically if the transfer had too much of an impact on my life and i was settled, I would just stay where I am if I was happy enough.
Nice Post. I would rather be a star at a team rather than people moaning im a glory hunter or a greedy bastard. What about another element. Joining/Leaving a club you supported as a kid?
As someone who has tried to balance the joy and intellectual reward of work, with the bottom line of earning money, the players starting out have my sympathies. One of my mantras has always been : don't be greedy, but don't be a charity either. May as many of them as possible get all of A/B/C in their careers.
Someone have a go at explaining the trophy option to me. The way I see it, I'd play a dozen games, win every one, hold the trophy, get my medal, be on cloud nine for a day, and then what? My medal might be on display in a spare bedroom, Ã la Steven Gerrard. It's all very nice, but how often would you go in there and take a look? What can I do tonight? Watch TV, play with the kids, go out to eat or sit in my trophy room for an hour? I don't know. Friends would soon look at me like a I'm a dick if I showed them off all the time. please log in to view this image Or my medal might be stuck in a draw somewhere - Wenger admits his medals are lost Maybe I'd look at the replica trophy in the club's trophy room once a fortnight. (****, I've read that back and now MONEY seems like more of a motivator.)
Is that Gerrard's room there? If its got nothing in it then i agree its daft. However, that would be a pretty sweet games room. That way you would see all your medals and souvenirs regularly without actually having to go to a particular room/wing of your house just to look at them. Do you keep mementos or photos? I guess its the same sort of thing. I used to win trophies for snooker as a kid/teenager. I don't look at them very often but i still have them and i wouldn't dream of getting rid of them, and obviously glad i won them.
Judging by what Gerrard said recently, as in hes scared to end his career, I can picture him in there quite frequently when his career ends, just hope he doesn't turn the lights off when it gets too much!
Football needs more Steven Gerrard's. Great pro and a top quality player. Once of the best I've seen in my years following football.
I'd waver between A and C, so I'm with Inda. I've won tiny, tiny little things, and it does make you feel good. Not just for a day, either. For about three. I guess winning something big might make you feel good for three weeks. If (and this one's a hard one to picture) I happened to come up with my favorite team, I'd have a very hard time not going for option A. Otherwise, I might lean towards C. I'd love to have enough money to give significant amounts away. (Not that I'm so sure I actually would...). I'm grateful for any decent excuse to learn a new language. But then there's the "Are you having a good time?" question. If the answer is no, I'm not sure I'd go. I think I would have a good time at most places, but I'd draw the line at the Lazios of the world. Finally, if I was good enough, I'm not sure there's a conflict between A and C. People love a very successful athlete, but I think your endorsement opportunities would go up so significantly if you were also known as a nice, loyal person that the best way of going about getting C, would be by being A. How much money did (American cultural reference coming) Ernie Banks make for being Mr. Cub? Everyone from the blue side of Chicago with the slightest interest in baseball wanted their photograph taken with him. Car dealers must have paid him a lot to show up at their places. Baseball telecasts always wanted to hear what he had to say.
Imagine how good you would feel getting paid about 800k into your account every month...even if its in Kazakhstan your earning it or wherever.
but with a job that occupies so much of your time, who can spend that sort of money? Obviously it'd amazing to have, and you'd rather have it than not have it, but when footballers earn so much anyway, why do they NEED to leave for more money?
I don't think I'd feel 20x better than I would if I'd previously been earning 40k, if thats what you're trying to imply. I'd certainly rather earn £40k a week at a club I'd be loved and truly appreciated at than earn 20x more and play in some hole in Russia or wherever miles away from my homeland and my family. Moving to Spain/France/Italy wouldn't be so bad because I can get by in the languages and if I wanted to pop home to England its less than half the flight time than if I was at Anzi and I'm not having to live in the middle of an Islamist conflict, like the one that seems to be going on in Makhachkala right now. And Roo, well said
I think for a ten year stretch I'd do it....I could look after everyone in my village! I agree with you lads...40k a week would do it...but I'm trying to think like the greedy bastard footballer here...and not like working class folk who would have to work for a year or two.
100% agree (although it is rumored he was going to join Mourinho until some scouse mafia types threatened to break his legs!)
