This. And I'd say Read Madrid have spent so much because of this, rather than in expectation of another flat-track bully like Ronaldo. Bale's ability from range is peerless in world football right now, to the point where it's nigh undefendable at times. These moments win you Champions Leagues. I think his success needn't be measured by the numbers he puts up, but the match-winning moments he provides.
Gareth Bale is...The most expensive player ever?!
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
This. And I'd say Read Madrid have spent so much because of this, rather than in expectation of another flat-track bully like Ronaldo. Bale's ability from range is peerless in world football right now, to the point where it's nigh undefendable at times. These moments win you Champions Leagues. I think his success needn't be measured by the numbers he puts up, but the match-winning moments he provides.
Only bank like Bankia which some year after will be saved by the EU. We, as european citizens, pay this circus. Ronaldo, Bale etc are my employees.
It really is ridiculous money. How do you even live up to a price tag like that, short of delivering the Champion's League for 3 years in a row?
Well I didn't imply that, believing a hype can be a positive thing in certain cases. Like a player who has great talent but is sort of shy to express it, he starts to believe he can be a much better player and his performances improve
Fair enough. Honestly, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to push for the best player in the world. Give his age, he'll probably achieve it in 4 years time due to Ronaldo and Messi's respective ages and until then, he would be the best of the rest.Well I didn't imply that, believing a hype can be a positive thing in certain cases. Like a player who has great talent but is sort of shy to express it, he starts to believe he can be a much better player and his performances improve
Well Ronaldo hasn't and he's the better player.
Yeah. Can't see him being happy with 5,769 per week.
What a load of bollox. He was easily the best player in the Premier League last season and is getting better each season. Forget the money side of the equation Real Madrid are on another planet to everyone else when it comes to throwing money around.
Bale would walk into any team in the world at the moment and we would have loved to see him at United.
He's making a general point about footballers' wages and how disproportionate they are compared to the national average.
Ah yeah. Fair enough. He's right.
Not only is he right, it's sickening the way the player wages have risen lately. Europe is struggling financially, bad, and player wages and prices are escalating. The bubble...
Exactly, for all the hoopla over Ronaldo and all his goals even he hasn't really justified that fee imo.
Is he actually the most expensive player? His agents refused to get into that when they were on Sky Sports. It didn't sound like it.
Sky say that spurs have said they've received €100m, whilst real say they've got him for €91m. Both would have reasons for lying about the fee. Hopefully eventually it gets leaked out.
has Bale ever displayed that range or those moments in a huge game? never mind a Cl game
Perhaps it depends on success at the Bernabeau?
Of course I would love him at United.
As for the rest, that's the bollox. "easily the best player in the Premier League last season?"
He was one of the players who wasted the most shots in the entire league, and he barely had any assists. In a large number of matches, his overall influence on the match was restricted to taking pot shots from long range. He's not a very intelligent footballer, and to call him easily the best in the league is so disrespectful to the likes of RvP and Mata I won't even start thinking about it.
He is a wonderful athlete with an astonishing strike on his very good left peg. He isn't an allround world class footballer though. He's mini-Ronaldo without the stats to back him up. Don't get me wrong, still a fantastic footballer, but this idea that he's the world's best player or anywhere close to that level is pure hyperbole. I'd say he's in the top 5 players of the Premier League, but I can't see him being the best and arguably he's out of the top three behind Mata, RvP and Suarez.
That's just bollox
Yup, I know. But that doesn't mean Cazorla's the best either. We both know who is.
Mental money for him, he was superb for Spurs last season but he isn't worth this much. When C.Ronaldo went hadn't he won the world player of the year award? I don't think there was much between Bale, Suarez & RvP last season, he was probably more eye catching hence why R.Madrid are paying well over the odds for him.
Good deal for Spurs though, they'll try and build a more rounded team rather than relying on one player and that makes sense.
Good deal for Spurs though, they'll try and build a more rounded team rather than relying on one player and that makes sense.
I dont watch a lot of La Liga but I'm assuming Real will line up like this...
---------------Lopez---------------
Arbeloa---Ramos---Pepe---Marcelo
--------Alonso-------Khadira-------
----------------Isco----------------
Bale---------Benzema---------Ronaldo
???
---------------Lopez---------------
Arbeloa---Ramos---Pepe---Marcelo
--------Alonso-------Khadira-------
----------------Isco----------------
Bale---------Benzema---------Ronaldo
???
Wh
which is cheating really isn't it.
It's hard to think that he could fail when he is going to be linking up with class such as this each week. I know that's not how football works but christ. Madrid is the perfect team for him considering their counter attacking prowess.
I think Modric will get more time, probably rotating with Alonso. Modric has been playing in that role with Alonso out injured and had a brilliant game today.
Depends what you expect from him really.
Given his price, he should be running Ronaldo close, which I doubt will happen, but he'll be a great player for them definitely.
The only way I can see him being considered a failure is if Madrid fans expect him to be like another Ronaldo. He'll have to be much more disciplined then Ronaldo and won't get as much freedom so that way his impact might not be as big as they hope and definitely not worth the 86mil. If they just look at him like a normal transfer, ignoring the price, then I'm sure the fans will be happy. That won't happen though.
I think the expectations for Bale from the Real Madrid supporters is going to be ridiculously high. He's a very good player but for world record money the fans are going to expect him to play like Ronaldo or Zidane.. That's not going to happen, he isn't going to come close to matching Ronaldo's numbers and I wonder how he will cope if the fans and the press get on his back.
He's just a new toy for them. He'll be there 2 or 3 seasons and then back home.
I find it a shame that a British player of his age has already left the league
Great player and still with huge amounts of potential but the most expensive player in the history of football ... something just does not add up and Daniel Levy has pulled off the financial masterstroke of footballing history.
Either that or Bale will now kick on and be remembered as a genius on par with Pele and Maradona.
Either that or Bale will now kick on and be remembered as a genius on par with Pele and Maradona.
I think you are right. Will move back to the premiership for £40million in less than 3 years.
Maybe he'll try playing Ronaldo up front, altough I doubt he'd be as effective. Still, I think Carlo might try it to see how it plays out as he seems to be very happy with Di Maria.
---------------Lopez---------------
Carvajal--Ramos--Pepe/Varane--Marcelo
----------Modric---------Khedira-------
------------------Isco-----------------
Di Maria----------Ronaldo-----------Bale
Like Agent Red said, Modric put in a great effort so I think he'll get more time, altough I think he'll partner Alonso or maybe even Illarramendi rather than Khedira.
Does anyone think Bale would have joined Madrid... had he joined us instead of Spurs from Southampton?
Interesting question.
In chronology, it looks like we signed nani a year later having failed to sign a 18 year old Bale. I remember he was hot property back then. Looks like he made the right decision to join Spurs, both in terms of less competition for places as well as Spurs always trying to play fast flowing wing based football. Who know if he would have developed in the way he in the way he has done at Spurs given the competition for places at United?
But given his UK roots, and our ability to challenge for top honours home and abroad every year, as well as being able to offer top salary, I'm, pretty confident we'd have had enough pull to keep him, even from the lure of Real Madrid.
No doubt he'd still be with United IMO. It's one thing to play for Spurs with dreams of winning a league cup or achieving fourth place, but with United he'd have a handful of league titles and three CL appearances under his belt (assuming he signed back in 2007). I don't think he would have had a desire to play for Real where as Ronaldo did from a young age. Then again, seeing as he is seemingly playing SWF to Ronaldo, perhaps he would have coveted a move to follow his idol/love interest.
Bale was signed the same summer.
Bale would have been bought as a left back which means he would not have developed the way he has. Evra was entering his prime and Ronaldo was still at the club. Bale moving further up the pitch was a complete accident at Spurs. If United had bought him he would have probably faded in the reserves or loaned out before being sold to a middle or lower PL club. How he would have developed from there is anyone's guess.
If Spurs saw him as a potential leftwinger I have no doubts United coaches may have seen that as well. Scholes didn't remain a striker after trying to break into the first team for a couple seasons. Keane's injury opened a door for Scholes to flourish in midfield.
not clear how much is paid upfront - Ronaldo was one lump sum payment and Bale may well be in installments so not directly comparable
He was not bought as a potential winger, but a attacking fullback. Even if United had seen any potential Ronaldo, Giggs and Nani were still at the club.
Why does everyone insist Real Madrid fans will judge Bale by his price tag? You think they're all retarded and don't have a relatively good idea on what he's worth or what?
Some will, in part, like I remember seeing with Berbatov here sometime ago, but was that the majority of fans, and was it extensible to the behaviour of fans in the stadium as well or was it just forum talk?
Porto's most expensive player ever was Danilo (discounting Hulk, but we only bought the remainder of the later's pass after knowing he was worthing), who is a decent right-back, but with a nowhere justifiable fee of 18m euros. He did get some stick in the forums from people insanely mad about the cost, but I don't see how that affected the player at all. The majority know that if someone is ever to blame it's the people doing business, not the players, and Danilo is very decent and steadily improving. As long as he's not utter shit, the fans will keep appreciating him like they do with any other player.
If Bale plays well, is reasonably productive (even if he only scores half of what Ronaldo does) and the team is successful, then his price tag won't hamper him in the least, I believe. Of course if he turns into another Kaka and gets benched he'll get stick, but that would happen even with a 50m fee.
Some will, in part, like I remember seeing with Berbatov here sometime ago, but was that the majority of fans, and was it extensible to the behaviour of fans in the stadium as well or was it just forum talk?
Porto's most expensive player ever was Danilo (discounting Hulk, but we only bought the remainder of the later's pass after knowing he was worthing), who is a decent right-back, but with a nowhere justifiable fee of 18m euros. He did get some stick in the forums from people insanely mad about the cost, but I don't see how that affected the player at all. The majority know that if someone is ever to blame it's the people doing business, not the players, and Danilo is very decent and steadily improving. As long as he's not utter shit, the fans will keep appreciating him like they do with any other player.
If Bale plays well, is reasonably productive (even if he only scores half of what Ronaldo does) and the team is successful, then his price tag won't hamper him in the least, I believe. Of course if he turns into another Kaka and gets benched he'll get stick, but that would happen even with a 50m fee.