FOOTBALL

Is It A Good Idea To Spend €100m On A Player?

Published

2 years ago

January 26, 2022

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‘’I am not worth €100 million. We are just playing football. These amounts of money make me laugh. No one is worth that much. And I think it is bad for the players for whom such fees are paid as well because people expect impossible things.’’ – Said Marco Veratti, November 10, 2016.

The transfer market has been inflated considerably over the last decade.

Clubs are not hesitating to sanction mega-money deals to bring in the players they want, and sometimes the money involved touches the €100 million mark or even more.

The question, however, is that is it wise for the clubs to go so big on one particular player?

It almost never is worth it

History tells us that it rarely works out for the recruiting club.

Teams barely got the return they had hoped for when they splashed such a colossal amount of money on one player.

As Veratti rightfully points out, it heaps an unrealistic pile of expectations on the player, so the odds are already stacked against the player when he signs.

Mbappe the exception

Kylian Mbappe is perhaps the most successful €100m plus transfer that has ever gone through.

Since 2017, the former Monaco star has played 199 matches for PSG, and he returned 151 goals and 77 assists for the Parisians.

Mbappe did perform on the level PSG had hoped for when they spent €180m to bring him to the French capital, and he was mostly available for selection.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp highlighted the increased risk you are taking when spending big on a player.

If the player gets injured for a long time, the club will find themselves in a very difficult situation.

They have put all their eggs in one basket, spending most of their transfer budget on one player.

So, once that player fails to deliver or becomes unfit to play, it dangerously limits the capability of a club.

It worked out for Klopp

Luckily for Jurgen, his expensive signings Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker turned out to be the missing pieces of the puzzle he needed to solve to end Liverpool’s silverware drought.

However, he has Barcelona’s impulsive signing of Philippe Coutinho to thank for financing his acquisitions of Alisson and Van Dijk.

Barca got it wrong

Barcelona paid an outrageous €160 million to bring the Brazilian to Camp Nou.

But, didn’t have a proper plan to integrate him into the squad.

Four years fast forward, Coutinho is playing on loan for Aston Villa as the Catalonians are desperate to get his expensive wages off their books.

Barcelona repeated the same mistake with Antoine Griezmann.

The Frenchman was asked to replace Neymar at right-wing, but he never had the qualities to become a prolific winger.

Griezmann’s success at Atletico Madrid and France came playing as a secondary striker.

But, Barca continued to try and morph him into a winger. In the end, it turned out to be a €120 million failed experiment.

Back to the fitness issue Jurgen Klopp was talking about.

Neymar, Hazard have disappointed

Neymar Jr. has failed to make more than 20 league appearances for PSG in a single season ever since his €222 million arrival from Barcelona.

Eden Hazard, the most fouled footballer of the last decade, has been struggling to stay fit at Real Madrid following his €100 million move to Real Madrid.

It makes much more sense to invest a vast amount of money for a squad overhaul rather than spending lavishly on a marquee signing.

In doing so, you are diversifying your risk and addressing multiple squad issues at once. So, €100 million signings aren’t really worth the risk.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.