Worth 80m?
Source: Vienna Reyes en Unsplash
Cristiano Ronaldo transfer: World-record deal shows football is booming, says Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, has defended Real Madrid's £80 million move for Cristiano Ronaldo, despite widespread criticism of the Spanish club's huge outlay in the transfer market this week.
Real's world-record swoop for Manchester United's Ronaldo came just three days after the previous record £56 million move for AC Milan forward Kaka.Real's spending is at odds with the financial climate, but Blatter insists the Ronaldo deal merely emphasises the healthy state of football.
"What does £80 million mean when 10 years ago another player with the same name (Ronaldo of Brazil) moved from one club to another for $50 million?" Blatter said. "It means that there is still a demand to have the stars.
"We are in a very sensitive market, in an economic crisis, but football remains a fantastic product, not just to buy or sell but a product that gives people what they want - emotions. They want the stars.
"This is the game of the people and they need stars. Okay, it is a lot of money, but he is performing."
The comments by the Fifa head come after Uefa president Michel Platini described the deal as "excessive" and called it a "serious challenge to the idea of fair play".
However, Blatter added: "Ten years ago there was painting from Picasso's Blue Period which was sold by Sothebys in London at that time for over £100 million.
"And what happened to this painting by Picasso? They hid it somewhere so no-one could take it away. Nobody can see it.
"But a football player, you can see him once or twice a week, he is there, he is a star, he is being billed as a star. It is not the money he is getting, it's the money between the clubs.
"Okay, you might say it is too much, but you have to put it in context of what football in our society is worth and what other things in our society are worth."
Real's transfer spending has raised questions in Spain, however, over how the club is funding its recruitment policy.
Barcelona's financial director, Xavier Sala i Martin, said: "I would like to know where Madrid go to get their money."
Source: Telegraph
It is reported that Ronaldo will earn 216,000 euros a week and rising 25% each year. That means he will earn around 657, 000 euros a week by year five.
Do you think any footballer is worth such an amount? What do you think about money in football nowadays?
Comments
I know the football world moves million of million. This world feeds clubs, footballers, radios, TVS, newspapers, journalists and so on. I know politicians use it to calm complaints and it serves as sedative for psychological problems, especially of males. But these booming amounts are crazy and outrageous.
In my opinion, it shows that football is more important than culture. There it’s not so much money to culture as football. All media broadcast football at the same time, but they don’t do it with culture. Football supporters are massive and nonstop, while culture supporters are calm.
It’s unfair that people with studies ear less than footballers, for instance, civil servants, teachers, doctors or engineers, after they have made so much effort. It’s unfair that, among own footballers, one of them ears so much and other ear so little.
Eventually, I don’t want to think about people that live badly for the lack of incomes.
See you.
P.S. Happy holiday and thank you very much for put up with clumsy people.
I made it back to Inverness without encountering any prison wardens.
You'd love the weather here - I think it'll hit a sweltering 16°C today.
I know the football world moves millions upon millions. This world feeds clubs, footballers, radio, TV, newspapers, journalists and so on. I know politicians use it to calm complaints and it serves as a sedative for psychological problems, especially of males. But these booming amounts are crazy and outrageous.
In my opinion, it shows that football is more important than culture. There isn't as much money in culture as football. All the media broadcasts football at the same time, but they don’t do it with culture. Football supporters are en masse and nonstop, while culture supporters are calm.
It’s unfair that people with studies earn less than footballers, for instance, civil servants, teachers, doctors or engineers, after they have made so much effort. It’s unfair that, even among footballers, some of them earn so much while others earn much less.
I don’t want to think about people that live badly because of a lack of income.
* "Eventually" is a false friend. It can be translated as "al final" or "con el tiempo". I'm not sure how you'd translate "eventualmente" to fit your example.
P.S. thank you very much for putting up with clumsy people.