Real Madrid has just broken the bank in the transfer market, by paying 100 million euros (SGD$169 million) for Gareth Bale. But is he really worth this hefty price tag or is Bale simply being over-hyped? Read on, for both sides of the picture.
Reproduced from the Facebook Fan Page of Gareth Bale
Why Bale is worth the money
He has talent and scoring ability
Bale scored 26 goals last season for Tottenham Hotspur, which is not even among the top four clubs in England. If he can produce so many goals at a club comprising of team members who are not world class, it is definitely a mouth-watering prospect to see what he can produce at a world-class club where his support will be top-notch. His consistent performances every week at Spurs definitely say something about his talent.
Bale also has the speed and pace and he can easily sprint past defenders with the ball to put himself in a good goal-scoring position.
May Sell Shirts
Bale is a family man who is dedicated to his job and he does not smoke or drink. So he is definitely a role model to emulate and may sell millions of shirts – like David Beckham.
Why Bale is not worth the money
It is too big a gamble
Sure, Bale has proven himself at Tottenham, but it must be noted that Real Madrid’s style of play is very different to that of Spurs. At the Spanish club, the focus is on keeping the ball, rather than using pace and outrunning opposition. Bale is accustomed to using his speed at Spurs to sprint past the opposition players en route to goal. So Bale will need to adapt and change his game if he is to continue to thrive at Real Madrid and prove that his transfer fee was worth it.
As Bale is untested in this area, this means Real Madrid are taking a very expensive gamble – and Bale might just turn out to be a flop and not worth the 100 million euros spent on him.
Bale may wilt under the pressure
Being the world’s most expensive footballer definitely has its cons. Bale will have the weight of the club on his shoulder. He will be expected to deliver great performances every week without fail. Every single one of his mistakes at Real Madrid will be criticised and the ever-unforgiving Spanish media will certainly pounce on him if he does not play a perfect game.
This will be a lot of pressure for a 24-year-old to take. Of course there is a chance that Bale may thrive on the pressure and show the world that he is worth every penny of his transfer fee but at the same time, there is also a chance that he will wilt under the huge amount of pressure and turn out to be a massive flop.
Ronaldo’s Ego
Before Bale arrived at Real Madrid for this insanely high transfer fee, the title of the most expensive player in the world was Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 80 million pounds.
As we all know, Ronaldo has a very huge ego and in his mind, he may think that Real Madrid is no longer interested in him because they have broken the world transfer record for Bale. He may see the Welshman as his rival, which will motivate him to look for so-called greener pastures elsewhere.
As a result, there may be conflict between Ronaldo and Bale in the dressing room – leading to conflict on the pitch.
Only Time Will Tell
Only time will tell as to whether Bale will succeed at Real Madrid, like David Beckham has done, or if he will become merely another expensive flop, like poor Michael Owen.
But whatever the case is, Bale will have to take the effort to adapt to the Spanish culture and its way of life. He must improve on his Spanish so that he can communicate with his team members at Real Madrid. At the same time, as his family is also moving to Spain with him, Bale must try and help them to fit in too, or the negative family atmosphere might just affect this young family man’s dream move to the Spanish giants.
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