Gabri Veiga

[mark87]

That's okay, Napoli can come back in for Ndombele now...

 

[Cavehillspur]

I found that staggering, I have never seen anyone in a Saudi team shirt (I live in Italy), never seen one on sale.
Maybe in Germany and other parts of Italy there's a bigger Arab population...?

In Belfast here, at the weekend I seen a couple of kids wearing Ronaldo Al Nassr kits, this is the start of it...

 

[Wick3d]

The lack of professional ambition is astounding, and pretty sad. Bullet dodged if we never went in for him if this is the height of his ambition.

The Saudis are offering generational wealth. This is not just life-changing for you but for everyone in your corner and several generations later. All for a few years of football. I get the need for professional ambition, but this is game-changing for a player like Veiga. I understand the likes of Ronaldo being branded as greedy, but many of these players come from working-class backgrounds, and we know money is king in this world.

 

[chas vs dave]

In Belfast here, at the weekend I seen a couple of kids wearing Ronaldo Al Nassr kits, this is the start of it...

I've seen as many Al nassr kits as I have seen inter miami kits.

It's more to do with messi and ronaldo. Some Kids these days seem to support players, instead of teams. Wierdos

 

[worcestersauce]

In Belfast here, at the weekend I seen a couple of kids wearing Ronaldo Al Nassr kits, this is the start of it...

I think that's the story, my grandson has an Inter Miami Messi shirt.

 

[E17yid]

The Saudis are offering generational wealth. This is not just life-changing for you but for everyone in your corner and several generations later. All for a few years of football. I get the need for professional ambition, but this is game-changing for a player like Veiga. I understand the likes of Ronaldo being branded as greedy, but many of these players come from working-class backgrounds, and we know money is king in this world.

Getting paid £6m-£10 million per year over a decade or so isn’t generational wealth? It’s greed nothing more. That’s fine I suppose but if some player said what you said I’d laugh in their face. If you think £100k PER WEEK isn’t enough to sort you, your kids and your kids kids out for life then you’re pretty shit with money. You don’t need Saudi money for that.

 

[KILLA_SIN]

Getting paid £6m-£10 million per year over a decade or so isn’t generational wealth? It’s greed nothing more. That’s fine I suppose but if some player said what you said I’d laugh in their face. If you think £100k PER WEEK isn’t enough to sort you, your kids and your kids kids out for life then you’re pretty shit with money. You don’t need Saudi money for that.

It's not just football players UK Drs and they are senior Drs are leaving as they are tripling wages to £300K P/Y virtually tax-free

I met a guy a few weeks ago from Kuwait who had brought his brother over to the UK for treatment I asked him why he would come to the UK and he said Drs in Kuwait were not as good as here, I was pretty surprised. So they are not just going for the football they are building a complete infrastructure

 

[Wick3d]

Getting paid £6m-£10 million per year over a decade or so isn’t generational wealth? It’s greed nothing more. That’s fine I suppose but if some player said what you said I’d laugh in their face. If you think £100k PER WEEK isn’t enough to sort you, your kids and your kids kids out for life then you’re pretty shit with money. You don’t need Saudi money for that.

I understand where you're coming from; £6m-£10m per year is a lot of money by most standards. But a footballer's career is not like most careers; it's incredibly short-lived. Most people work for about 40 years, but if they're lucky, a footballer's peak earning years may only be a decade. Injuries, changes in form, or coaching decisions can make it even shorter.

Also, let's not forget the astronomical costs associated with being an elite athlete—the agents, taxes, medical care, and not to mention the pressure to support extended family and community, especially for players from less affluent backgrounds when you account for all that, that £100k a week doesn't stretch as far as you might think.

But the decision to move to a league like the one in Saudi Arabia isn't solely financial. It's about risk and reward. Yes, earning £6m-£10m in a more competitive league is an option, but there's a higher risk associated with that—the risk of injury, of not getting game time, of falling out of favour, etc. In Saudi Arabia, the financial rewards are guaranteed to some extent, which adds a layer of security that is often hard to quantify but incredibly valuable for the individual and their family.

So, it's not just about being "shit with money," as you put it. It's about maximising your earning potential in a limited time while managing risks that could derail your financial future. We might disagree with his decision, but it's more nuanced than simply labelling it as greed.

 

[StanSpur]

Getting paid £6m-£10 million per year over a decade or so isn’t generational wealth? It’s greed nothing more. That’s fine I suppose but if some player said what you said I’d laugh in their face. If you think £100k PER WEEK isn’t enough to sort you, your kids and your kids kids out for life then you’re pretty shit with money. You don’t need Saudi money for that.

I think one year of that is generational wealth. Most people will never earn 100k per year let alone per week. Even if you were fortunate to earn that out the gate and work 50 years from 18 to 68 you'd earn £5m in a lifetime and own your own home, take holidays and raise a family with a reasonable level of comfort. To earn that in a year (probably more with the right tax avoidance) IS life changing, to earn 10 times that over a 5 year contract means you can pay for your parents, your sister, your brother and whoever else in the family to live a comfortable happy life and to ensure your children never have to work. That is by definition generational wealth. I would love to see a rival company come in for you in an undesirable area and offer you £10m a year and see you say no thanks.... would never happen, you would snap their hand off knowing the difference even a year at the company would make. We look at these deals as football fans, looking for glory, titles, success on a footballing level. Footballers look at them as job opportunities, ways of maximising their income doing the job they are skilled at doing. Is it a shame for football, yes. For the individual, he only plays professionally to make a living so i guess he's playing the best hands dealt.

 

[E17yid]

I understand where you're coming from; £6m-£10m per year is a lot of money by most standards. But a footballer's career is not like most careers; it's incredibly short-lived. Most people work for about 40 years, but if they're lucky, a footballer's peak earning years may only be a decade. Injuries, changes in form, or coaching decisions can make it even shorter.

Also, let's not forget the astronomical costs associated with being an elite athlete—the agents, taxes, medical care, and not to mention the pressure to support extended family and community, especially for players from less affluent backgrounds when you account for all that, that £100k a week doesn't stretch as far as you might think.

But the decision to move to a league like the one in Saudi Arabia isn't solely financial. It's about risk and reward. Yes, earning £6m-£10m in a more competitive league is an option, but there's a higher risk associated with that—the risk of injury, of not getting game time, of falling out of favour, etc. In Saudi Arabia, the financial rewards are guaranteed to some extent, which adds a layer of security that is often hard to quantify but incredibly valuable for the individual and their family.

So, it's not just about being "shit with money," as you put it. It's about maximising your earning potential in a limited time while managing risks that could derail your financial future. We might disagree with his decision, but it's more nuanced than simply labelling it as greed.

I said ten years in my post so accepted football careers are short your post just goes into more detail about greed. That’s it. To be honest even if you only earn 1 contract in your career you’re still probably banking near on £30million. So if your career has been cut short in your mid 20s you can retire with an insane amount of money. Like you basically won the euro millions.

What do you think premier footballers do with their £5-£10 mil per year anyway? Do you think they sit on it? Put it under their bed or do you think they do what every other rich persons does and invest it and make even more money. Most players buy an insane amount of property and a million other things so I can’t really get on board with the “they have high outgoings” stuff.

 

[E17yid]

Also not factoring in the sponsorship money these players get on top of their insane wages.

 

[Now it's Spursonal]

 

[E17yid]

I think one year of that is generational wealth. Most people will never earn 100k per year let alone per week. Even if you were fortunate to earn that out the gate and work 50 years from 18 to 68 you'd earn £5m in a lifetime and own your own home, take holidays and raise a family with a reasonable level of comfort. To earn that in a year (probably more with the right tax avoidance) IS life changing, to earn 10 times that over a 5 year contract means you can pay for your parents, your sister, your brother and whoever else in the family to live a comfortable happy life and to ensure your children never have to work. That is by definition generational wealth. I would love to see a rival company come in for you in an undesirable area and offer you £10m a year and see you say no thanks.... would never happen, you would snap their hand off knowing the difference even a year at the company would make. We look at these deals as football fans, looking for glory, titles, success on a footballing level. Footballers look at them as job opportunities, ways of maximising their income doing the job they are skilled at doing. Is it a shame for football, yes. For the individual, he only plays professionally to make a living so i guess he's playing the best hands dealt.

Surely the scenario would be me on £5m per year in an area I love in a fulfilling job that pushes me, that my kids are settled in but someone comes in and offers me £10m per year in a job I hate that is unfulfilling in an area I didn't like. I’d genuinely be happy with the £5m to be honest.

 

[AustroSpur]

In Belfast here, at the weekend I seen a couple of kids wearing Ronaldo Al Nassr kits, this is the start of it...

yes, same here in Austria - we´re having a rather huge Turkish and I´d assume also some Arab community, and kids are starting to wear the blue/yellow jersey with "Ronaldo" on playgrounds and football fields - can´t seem to remember the team´s name which is the funniest part about it

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

The Saudi league will grow. They are appealing to the young internet fans who support individual players, base all their views on YouTube highlight packages, and argue about the ability of a player based purely on stats.

All the players the Saudi league are recruiting are players that are loved on football twitter etc… it will be a football league for the new age football fan.

 

[Wick3d]

The Saudi league will grow. They are appealing to the young internet fans who support individual players, base all their views on YouTube highlight packages, and argue about the ability of a player based purely on stats.

All the players the Saudi league are recruiting are players that are loved on football twitter etc… it will be a football league for the new age football fan.

Until they pack it in when they get what they are after, which is to host a World Cup. I imagine Saudi leadership is still smarting over Qatar hosting the first World Cup in the Middle East.

 

[talkshowhost86]

The Saudi league will grow. They are appealing to the young internet fans who support individual players, base all their views on YouTube highlight packages, and argue about the ability of a player based purely on stats.

All the players the Saudi league are recruiting are players that are loved on football twitter etc… it will be a football league for the new age football fan.

In other words, the sportswashing is working

 

[Chris Flynn]

Apparantly their forums are shit and they are looking for someone to do one liner joke posts. Willing to pay big bucks for someine with the misanthropic dry outlook only someone who has supported spurs for 35 years can bring. I'm waiting for the call £££

 

[TheChosenOne]

I said ten years in my post so accepted football careers are short your post just goes into more detail about greed. That’s it. To be honest even if you only earn 1 contract in your career you’re still probably banking near on £30million. So if your career has been cut short in your mid 20s you can retire with an insane amount of money. Like you basically won the euro millions.

What do you think premier footballers do with their £5-£10 mil per year anyway? Do you think they sit on it? Put it under their bed or do you think they do what every other rich persons does and invest it and make even more money. Most players buy an insane amount of property and a million other things so I can’t really get on board with the “they have high outgoings” stuff.

E.G. - Mr Kane has been building up a portfolio of investment properties in recent years for the family fortunes.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Apparantly their forums are shit and they are looking for someone to do one liner joke posts. Willing to pay big bucks for someine with the misanthropic dry outlook only someone who has supported spurs for 35 years can bring. I'm waiting for the call £££

We could rehash all the old SC Golded threads