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da bet7k： Paul Scholes’ retirement from football at the end of last season left Manchester United with a void in midfield that even Sir Alex Ferguson conceded would be difficult to fill. The United boss described Scholes as a ‘one-off’ and ‘irreplaceable’, though many expected Ferguson to go in to the transfer market and try and find a substantial replacement in time for the new campaign. United were heavily linked with Inter Milan midfielder, and Dutch international Wesley Sneijder for the best part of the transfer window, though how close United were to completing his transfer remains somewhat unclear.
This week Sneijder has claimed that he never wished to leave Milan, and that talks with United only took place when he heard the club were eager to sell him. The midfielder also revealed that former Chelsea and Inter boss Jose Mourinho persuaded him to stay in Italy, and that once Samuel Eto’o was sold there was no longer any possibility of him leaving. Sneijder’s claims appear to contradict a number of reports that came out over the summer suggesting that the midfielder was offered a contract at United, but that he was unhappy with the salary on offer at Old Trafford. Ferguson was reportedly unwilling to match the £250,00 a week wage the midfielder is believed to be earning at Inter, and such demands were reported to have stalled any talks between the clubs and player.
At the end of July Ferguson was reported to have claimed, “If he wants to come, he must accept our contract offer”, and so the cause for the breakdown of this transfer ultimately depends on which reports we choose to believe. Personally, I believe that money was the motivation behind Sneidjer’s decision to remain in Italy, especially when we consider that Eto’o did not complete is move to Anzhi Makhachkala until late August, and United are believed to have made an offer to Sneijder back in July. Harry Redknapp recently claimed that Samir Nasri’s move to Manchester City was also motivated by money, however, with the exception of Sneijder, there were a number of transfers over the summer that showed money was not everything to modern footballer.
Even Nasri, who will undoubtedly be earning a higher wage while at City, was not simply moving for the money. While Manchester City have been improving their squad year on year, and are gradually becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League, Arsenal have gone six years without silverware, and have failed to mount a significant challenge for the league title throughout Nasri’s time there. The prospect of winning titles and silverware is therefore likely to have motivated Nasri to leave North London just as much as the money on offer, if not more. The possibility of such silverware would of course have been on offer at United as well, and so Sneijder’s refusal to accept such an offer could not have been motivated by any apprehensions over potential success.
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Scott Parker also showed that money is not everything to the modern footballer, after he completed his move to Championship side West Ham to Tottenham Hostpur on deadline day. The England midfielder was on a reported £70,000 a week at West Ham, however playing Premier League football is believed to have been more important than the wages on offer, and Parker reportedly accepted a cut in salary in signing for Tottenham so that he could continue to play at the highest level. Craig Bellamy is also believed to have taken a reduced salary after re-joining former club Liverpool on the last day of the transfer window. The Welshman was believed to have been earning almost £100,000 a week at Manchester City, however once Mancini made it clear he was not part of the clubs plans anymore, Bellamy was prepared to seek his football elsewhere, and on a lower wage.
These are just some examples as to why the Sneijder saga should not be used as a generalization for all ‘modern footballers’. We are all fully aware that players already earn well above what they should be, but it is important to recognise the significance that the ‘beautiful game’ still holds for a number, perhaps even the majority, of modern footballers. While some are certainly motivated by money, and to an extent might even be content with warming the bench for over £100k a week, the majority of footballers are desperate to win silverware and prove their ability at the very top level. Some players may move for higher salaries, others may move to win trophies and titles, but the majority, I would like to think, will usually opt for first team football over an extra £10-20k a week.
Agree or disagree? Is money the real motivation for all modern footballers? Let me know either below or @sixthofficial on Twitter!
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