The avarice of those 2… has there ever been anything like it?

Fortitude

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I normally am quite pointed in ‘defending’ footballers and their right to maximise their earnings whilst they still can. Their earnings being relative to lifestyles and familial/generational upkeep most simply don’t consider when comparing them to the layman as people are wont to do, for some unknown reason, but those 2…?

You surely have to ask a question of when it becomes sheer avarice. Complicity in human rights violators by eagerly taking their money; fiddling taxes to keep even more of their earnings; being who some rate as the 2 best players to have step foot on a pitch, yet having financial grace even Platini can only step back in awe of… one’s almost certainly a full-fledged narcissist, but the other is painted very differently, almost angel-like in comparative terms, and yet financially they’ve both shown there’s no stoop too low - if the bag’s right, they’re both in their feet first in a manner that is anomalous to such an elite grouping as they belong… right?

Is it that the opportunities to be so Gollum-esque in the pursuit of money were not so prevalent in the times of a Pelé, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Maradona or Ronaldo, or are these two just different gravy with their conduct? I’m sure in the end, few will care how they saw out their careers, but it is absolutely scummy… isn’t it… or do you think not? Should they be afforded the same rights as anyone else to maximise their earnings irrespective of where it takes them or who they’re paid by, or does it have you see them in a different light, at least as personas, or even as people? The money on the table for them is indeed obscene - very probably a window of opportunity to double entire career earnings in a couple of years, even, but should they be doing it? Is it any of our business or should it be seen for what it is?

This exact topic was brought up in the boxing thread; any boxer who can get that kind of bag is holding out and spoiling until those fights are made in lieu of fights for less elsewhere, “integrity“ of the sport be damned, so it’s a broader discussion than just these two.
 
totally agree. weghorst and martial shouldn’t be allowed within 500 miles of old trafford.
 
Wait, Gollum was motivated by money? That's not how I understood the character, but alright.
 
‘Those two’ are professional footballers. They are more than entitled to maximise their incomes. The fact that they are being offered such sums shows that they have obviously done a few things right in their careers anyway.

As for the human rights angle, I’m not having that anyway. I’m aware that the Great British view of the Middle East is not, and doesn’t have to be the global one, so I’m not sure proceeding as if they have broken some sort of unspoken agreement that they are the bad guys and we are not supposed to talk to them stands. I wasn’t aware that we had all collectively agreed to exclude the Middle East from the rest of the world.
 
All nice and easy writing that up, let someone offer you 2, 3, 4, or 5x what you make right now and you'd jump ship in a second.

Its literally their job. Unless they have some emotional attachment somewhere, they are going to go for the highest payer.
 
So, Microsoft, Apple, Governments, the military can dodge some taxes and try to maximize their profit but 2 individuals can't? Do you realize what you're saying?
 
Slevs said:
All nice and easy writing that up, let someone offer you 2, 3, 4, or 5x what you make right now and you'd jump ship in a second.
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I would not jump ship in a second just for higher wages. I'm not really sure why you think "assuming no one has any integrity" is an argument.
 
Any time this sort of topic comes up, it's slightly irritating how people assume everyone else is as greedy and beholden to money as they are and will always jump at the cash, thus the stupid, "haha, you'd do the same to if you were in their shoes". How do you know?
 
Seveneric said:
Any time this sort of topic comes up, it's slightly irritating how people assume everyone else is as greedy and beholden to money as they are and will always jump at the cash, thus the stupid, "haha, you'd do the same to if you were in their shoes". How do you know?
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agreed. some of us have morals. it’s not just about money for me. human rights is a big thing. in an interview, i’ll always ask the company to prove that at least some of their revenue stream is supported by child labour, otherwise i’m not interested.
 
It's one thing to accept huge salaries that are offered, but it's a totally different thing to feck around with tax loopholes and other shady practices to keep as much as possible of the money. Saying that they're just taking the money they're offered is disingenuous
 
Catt said:
avariciousness

Damn
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you just need to break the word down, then its meaning is clear-

avari - comes from the latin for bird house.

cious - “see us” but not just plain sight, as in, “look at us, and know.” understand completely.

ness - a lake in scotland.
 
Fortitude said:
I normally am quite pointed in ‘defending’ footballers and their right to maximise their earnings whilst they still can. Their earnings being relative to lifestyles and familial/generational upkeep most simply don’t consider when comparing them to the layman as people are wont to do, for some unknown reason, but those 2…?

You surely have to ask a question of when it becomes sheer avarice. Complicity in human rights violators by eagerly taking their money; fiddling taxes to keep even more of their earnings; being who some rate as the 2 best players to have step foot on a pitch, yet having financial grace even Platini can only step back in awe of… one’s almost certainly a full-fledged narcissist, but the other is painted very differently, almost angel-like in comparative terms, and yet financially they’ve both shown there’s no stoop too low - if the bag’s right, they’re both in their feet first in a manner that is anomalous to such an elite grouping as they belong… right?

Is it that the opportunities to be so Gollum-esque in the pursuit of money were not so prevalent in the times of a Pelé, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Maradona or Ronaldo, or are these two just different gravy with their conduct? I’m sure in the end, few will care how they saw out their careers, but it is absolutely scummy… isn’t it… or do you think not? Should they be afforded the same rights as anyone else to maximise their earnings irrespective of where it takes them or who they’re paid by, or does it have you see them in a different light, at least as personas, or even as people? The money on the table for them is indeed obscene - very probably a window of opportunity to double entire career earnings in a couple of years, even, but should they be doing it? Is it any of our business or should it be seen for what it is?

This exact topic was brought up in the boxing thread; any boxer who can get that kind of bag is holding out and spoiling until those fights are made in lieu of fights for less elsewhere, “integrity“ of the sport be damned, so it’s a broader discussion than just these two.
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Erm....what?
 
I’m not intelligent enough for this thread so as a result I’m out
 
theballisround said:
So, Microsoft, Apple, Governments, the military can dodge some taxes and try to maximize their profit but 2 individuals can't? Do you realize what you're saying?
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Is anyone happy that major corporations dodge taxes? Weird assumption.
 
It took me a while to figure out who 'those 2' were...:lol: I think they have their own right to pursue cash in whichever way they see fit. They are greedy bastards but so are the rest of us.
 
Seveneric said:
Any time this sort of topic comes up, it's slightly irritating how people assume everyone else is as greedy and beholden to money as they are and will always jump at the cash, thus the stupid, "haha, you'd do the same to if you were in their shoes". How do you know?
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Obviously they can't know for sure. However, I don't find it irritating as it's a reasonable assumption. In my experience, when people look for new higher paying jobs, they don't typically make their decision based on the company's impact on human rights, environments, hazardous working conditions etc. It just so happens that in this particular case these problems are regularly highlighted and the 2 footballers are world famous. But you could really make the same case for anyone you know moving to a higher paying job in some random middle management position at BP, Nike, Nestle, frigging Amazon, the list goes on.
 
Tax evasion and rich people go together like a horse and carriage. If you are rich you don't even need to look for people who will offer you to make you even richer. Source? My brother works as a lawyer for a Swiss bank, and it's pretty much his job to make sure rich people get even richer, and why are they doing it? Well because they get paid very well to do it, rich people don't think twice to pay 500k to a bunch of bankers when it saves them 800k in taxes.

Does that make it morally okay? Absolutely not, but it's unfortunately how this world works. As long as there are people who can make money by saving rich people from paying taxes this shite will exist.
 
Ibi Dreams said:
It's one thing to accept huge salaries that are offered, but it's a totally different thing to feck around with tax loopholes and other shady practices to keep as much as possible of the money. Saying that they're just taking the money they're offered is disingenuous
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Boo yaaa!
 
The timorousness of the OP... Has there ever been anything like it?

He can't even nominate his targets!
 
Rozay said:
‘Those two’ are professional footballers. They are more than entitled to maximise their incomes. The fact that they are being offered such sums shows that they have obviously done a few things right in their careers anyway.

As for the human rights angle, I’m not having that anyway. I’m aware that the Great British view of the Middle East is not, and doesn’t have to be the global one, so I’m not sure proceeding as if they have broken some sort of unspoken agreement that they are the bad guys and we are not supposed to talk to them stands. I wasn’t aware that we had all collectively agreed to exclude the Middle East from the rest of the world.
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To be clear, the "Middle East" isn't the issue; it's chasing the bag wherever it pays the most disregarding literally anything else. Difference is, only S.A. are offering, so they're the only viable destination.
 
erikcred said:
But you could really make the same case for anyone you know moving to a higher paying job in some random middle management position at BP, Nike, Nestle, frigging Amazon, the list goes on.
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The situation isn't even remotely similar to Messi's.
 
horsechoker said:
Can we please stop using words I don't know
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First of all, you throwin' too many big words at me, and because I don't understand them, I'm gonna take 'em as disrespect. Watch your mouth and help me with the sale.
 
Fortitude said:
Lest the horde arrive!

We do not tickle the gnads of sentinels, sir!
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Recreant, I will not have it! Your cowardice should be chastised.

Otherwise, yeah. These two made enough money, I understand the average players that went to China, most of them were handed money that they would never get during their career in Europe but the two that apparently shouldn't be named are just a different level of nonsense which isn't surprising since they have spent the past decade crying to the press through agents and mouthpieces whenever the other earned a couple of Euros more.
 
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