Do the best players really enjoy football?

[Edward Alistair]

Bale announced his retirement yesterday and left me thinking why, only 34 and never seemed to play too many minutes when he was at Madrid.
A quick look at his career stats shows in 17 years he played a full 90 minutes just over 200 times, not including playing for Wales.

Ronaldo probably has played a lot more but as he takes a tea break when his team ain't in possession football hasn't caused him any kind of fitness problems, yet he has gone to play pub football in the sunshine just for money when he could of been playing Champions league if he would of took a huge wage cut.

A lot of top players seem okay with being rested throughout the season and it has left me wondering at what point do they go from 'the dream of wanting to be a footballer when I grow up' to 'I've got loads of money now so I don't need to bother anymore'?
We seem to have had our fair share over the years.

How far down the pyramid do you need to go to find a player who drops down the leagues just so he can keep playing football every week?

 

[Gaeilge Millwall]

Its the money,

A players football course when i was younger, seemed to be dropping down the leagues as they got older. Just so they could keep on playing, and earning money. Now ???? I am not so sure of the desire

 

[adamsrill lion]

Its the money,

A players football course when i was younger, seemed to be dropping down the leagues as they got older. Just so they could keep on playing, and earning money. Now ???? I am not so sure of the desire

Jamie Cureton, now player/manager at Enfield is the only player I am aware of who has played in nine levels of football, Essex League to Premier League.

And of course, one man who only played because he loved playing football -- Steve Claridge.

 

[JF_Lion]

Top players now don’t have to drop down the pyramid.

in previous years they needed to as much as they wanted to. Now, why bother

 

[Andover_Lion]

And of course, one man who only played because he loved playing football -- Steve Claridge.

That and the bookies

 

[EVOJM1972]

No real need for a former Premier League player to drop down the leagues, as far as money is concerned, even a half-decent player at a relegated team is going to pick up nigh on £1m a year due to parachute payments. I think Leeds were the "worst" payers and they're averaging £600k a year!

As for Ronaldo going to that poxy Saudi team, how much money does a person really want? The mercenary fuck. Although he probably realised that no self-respecting CL would touch him with a bargepole, he's poison to a team these days

 

[Lionchel]

I've stopped watching most football (except Wall of course) I'm just boarded with it, never thought I would ever say that

 

[Edward Alistair]

No real need for a former Premier League player to drop down the leagues, as far as money is concerned, even a half-decent player at a relegated team is going to pick up nigh on £1m a year due to parachute payments. I think Leeds were the "worst" payers and they're averaging £600k a year!

As for Ronaldo going to that poxy Saudi team, how much money does a person really want? The mercenary fuck. Although he probably realised that no self-respecting CL would touch him with a bargepole, he's poison to a team these days

That is the point I was making, who wants to play because they love playing football for as long as they can.

 

[adamsrill lion]

That is the point I was making, who wants to play because they love playing football for as long as they can.

That is the point I was making. Yes there are/were some, Cureton and Claridge were my first examples. Perhaps with Cureton I should have said Premier to Essex League but he still managed nine levels of Pyramid. I'm sure I don't have to go through SC's club statistics. He would have a bet on playing even now at level ten !