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Loyalty: Club vs Country

August 23rd, 2008 | By: Julian | 18 Comments »

I know that this is a blog that supposed to be about the Italian national team. But for today, instead of writing about the Azzurri, I’d gonna blog about an issue that’s becoming pretty big in football. It’s a post that’s part-rant, and part-observation. It has almost nothing to do with Italy but everything to do with national teams, clubs and money. So here it is:

It’s finally official: Madrid is willing to let Robinho go. Real Madrid, one of the top, most winningest clubs in the world–a club little kids dream of playing for one day–are apparently not enough for Robinho. He dreams of going to Chelsea, and one can’t help but wonder why. It brings to mind the Ronaldo saga of a few months ago, when he basically tried to force his way to Madrid. Why though? Ronaldo is at Man U, the current winners of the Premiere League and the Champions League. Yes, the club that is technically the best club in all of Europe is not enough for him. Does he want to move because he’s been a fan of Real his whole life? Or is he just a money hungry scumbag?

These situations basically sum up the difference between club and country. Player can be and often are mercenaries for their clubs, playing when they feel like it and often leaving for the highest bidder. There’s nearly no loyalty anymore in club football. Club legends like Zanetti, Totti, ADP and Raul-players who stay at the club through thick and thin, no matter who’s in charge or what happens, players who give their all for love of the shirt- are becoming a thing of the past. Instead, what we’re seeing more and more of are players like Ronaldo and Robinho. Players who should be called mercenaries.

But on the national teams, we don’t have to worry about that. The club vs country debate will go on till the end of time, but very few players would ever turn down the chance to play for their country.

Even fewer can choose which country to play for (Rossi springs to mind, Deco as well) and playing for your national team is seen as a highest honor. Players give everything to be called up by their national teams. So why is it that players like Ronaldo and Robinho work so hard to please their country but not their club?

Because they value money more than anything else. It may sound harsh but it’s basically true. Representing a country is hugely rewarding, but to these players, why represent a certain club when you can represent another one for even more money?

It makes you think. If Ronaldo could play for Brazil for higher wages than what he’d get at Portugal, would he? How much do players like that really love the shirt? And how much do they love the wages?

Note: I use Robinho and Ronadlo because they’re both high profile cases of players at clubs who have everything to offer, and still want to leave. You could probably substitute a myriad of names in for them and still have a valid point. This isn’t a rant against Robinho and Ronaldo- it’s a rant against how spoiled some soccer players have become.

Tags: Chelsea, Club, country, Group E, Man U, Real Madrid, Robinho, Ronaldo

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Comments

By gianfranco | August 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 am

Club legends like Zanetti, Totti, ADP and Raul…

u forgot someone…

Posted from United States

By gdark | August 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am

most winningest???

By Bobby Finstock | August 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 am

Why are you a scumbag if you like money? This is such a tired and weak argument. Why is it that professional athletes are the only labor force in the world that shouldn’t try to get as much money for their work as they can? In any other walk of life, people try to get as much as they can. That’s the way of the world and that’s human nature. Next semester you need to take an ECON class, Julian.

By Julian | August 23rd, 2008 at 12:20 pm

gianfranco I could’ve added a lot of people (Maldini, Barry, Wes Brown) but it’s just a general shortlist to give the idea.

And Bobby, why should money be the most important thing? They’re professional athletes and they’re making ridiculous amounts of money anyway. There’s a fine line between making money and just becoming downright greedy and selfish.

By Nina | August 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 pm

lol@Gian,I was thinking the same thing when I read that part! Maldini is the epitome of one club player! He is not one among the list; he is the first on the list.
As for club vs. country, most players think of their countries as their families, and while they might change jobs for money, I’m sure they won’t sell their families for money. And when a club becomes your family as in the case of some of the players you mentioned, it is easy to see why they are so loyal to their clubs.

By Nina | August 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm

gdark, winningest is an adjective meaning having won the most.And yeah it is English.

By sam | August 23rd, 2008 at 1:52 pm

uhmmm, maldini not on the list?

Posted from Switzerland

By Bobby Finstock | August 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 pm

Julian

Their being professional is exactly my point. It’s their job and unlike being a professional doctor or attorney, the time they have to earn ridiculous amounts of money is very, very small by comparison. So, in turn, they get it when they can get it. And speaking of loyalty, where is the loyalty from the clubs? If a player is producing or is older or has a horrific injury, then do you think they’re going to be “loyal” and keeping hading them a paycheck when they’re unable to produce. That’s how business works. Loyalty is a two way street.

By gdark | August 23rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm

I have no problem with winningest, Nina. Most winningest???/ Are you kidding me? Check an elementary school grammar book and get back with me. Thanks for pointing out which language it is.

By Julian | August 23rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm

gdark, I was being grammatically incorrect on purpose. You know, the stress the point that they won the most out of any club ever. I like to call it redundancy-to-stress-a-point

And I can’t believe that out of everything I said in the article, that’s the point you commented about.

And Bobby, that’s a fair point about clubs quickly dropping players.

By gianfranco | August 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pm

Without Maldini and Baresi, you dont get a Totti, ADP, Raul and so on…

Those guys pioneered being one club heroes.

Posted from United States

By alessio | August 23rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Cough cough Boniperti Gianfranco.

Posted from United States

By Marco Pantanella | August 23rd, 2008 at 3:47 pm

Our generation alessio… our generation… (but yeah, Boniperti’s another one).

I for one, was a long-time advocate of the “real legends stay at a club for life” theory. I used to think that the only way a player deserved true respect, was for him to stick with the same club colour, no matter how dark the times got.

Now, I’ve lost the faith.

I came to realise that players, just like clubs, are simply playing by the rules of the game. The game is simple: go with the highest bidder, and everyone protects his own interests. If a player has a good season, his agents will tell him to ask for higher wages: clubs who want to keep their star players now need to satisfy their demands, else the players will go find warmer (and richer) waters. Either that, or the club must sell the player while they still can (to avoid a Bosman transfer for zero cash as soon as the contract runs out).

You might call the game and their players “greedy”, “selfish” etc. etc., it’s become a reality of life. I still respect players who stick to one club for their entire careers (a big fu**ing kudos to Maldini, J.Zanetti, ADP, Totti etc.). However I’ve come to view the “mercenaries” of sorts with a different, less severe kind of eye.

Posted from France

By Ro | August 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm

LOL Marco at “Our generation alessio… our generation… “

Posted from United States

By asem | August 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 pm

De Rossi is a modern era One-Club Man.
Well, he is too young to tell yet, but I HIGHLY doubt he’ll leave Roma after signing a huge contract this summer. Romans are truly THE BEST.

By gianfranco | August 24th, 2008 at 8:40 am

De Rossi is a modern era One-Club Man.

easy, he is 25…lets say that in 15 years.

Posted from United States

By sofia | August 24th, 2008 at 3:26 pm

great post!! everything you said i agree with. I do belive that players ike Ronaldo and Robinho are just in it for the cash and they don’t really care about anything else, which is why i dont have respect for them

Posted from Canada

By Bart | August 24th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

Is this article suggesting that professionals should feel as loyal and proud of their employers as they do to their country?

This is ridiculous. At the end of the day, for as much “history and tradition” as people want to spout about for what is essentially a business venture, your country is your country. It will mean infinitely more to you than the company that pays you.

Posted from Dominican Republic