Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale has made the move to Real Madrid, signing a six-year contract for an undisclosed fee that’s being reported as a world record €100m transfer deal.
The 24-year-old is set to pick up a weekly pay packet of more than €350,000 at the Spanish club, which can well afford it being the richest in the world, though some have described the amount of money involved as “mind-numbing” and “obscene”.
But Real must see the Welsh sensation as in investment in their future, and will expect him to give up the goods.
That the transfer announcement has set tongues wagging beyond the soccer world is no surprise, bringing huge media attention to the club – and the millions of euros in sponsorship that follow.
But sponsorship and media exposure are not the only reasons why clubs such as Real Madrid pay so handsomely to snap up the best players in the game. It’s also about putting together the best team with the best skills to maintain a legacy of success both at home and abroad: and that means winning this season’s Uefa Champions League for a record 10th time.
Bale made his mark as one of soccer’s strongest wingers during his six-year stint with Spurs, though he only came into his own in the 2009-2010 season when he helped his team clinch a qualifying spot in Europe’s top inter-league competition. Within a year he was one of the club’s biggest goal-scorers, and his popularity – and market value – skyrocketed.
The Spanish capital club were the ones to make the offer Bale couldn’t refuse. But it’s worth bearing in mind that Spain is one of the European countries hardest hit by the global economic downturn, and it remains to be seen whether the money – or the fans – will be there by the end of his contract.
And with ticket prices ever increasing to cover enormous salaries such as that awarded to Bale, there’s only so much a recession-hit public can take before the people turn their backs on ‘the people’s game’.
So now it’s up to Bale to prove himself on the pitch and prove his worth to Real Madrid and their fans, both in success in the league tables and value for money.
