The modern game is filled with money-grabbing players out to line their pockets, and it seems to be considered as something of a modern phenomenon; an inevitable evil of the Premier League era. However, as Liverpool legend Graeme Souness recently admitted in an interview with TalkSport, money was often more important than actual love for the club, even in the 1980s.
It was a sad day for Liverpool fans when Souness - one of the club's greatest ever midfielders - left the club to play in Italy.
Souey didn't move to serie a because he had any kind of affinity with Sampdoria though; he left for one very simple reason - money:
"There are some players that love their football clubs but then, you have to look at the amount of foreign players in the game; I think that's certainly put a different slant on it.
"They're not coming here because they loving living in England, and they've been Arsenal, Man United or Liverpool supporters all their lives.
"They come here because of the finances, and I'd be a hypocrite to say they were wrong because I did the same thing when I went to play in Italy".
So - Souey was a mercenary (!). Seriously though, given the comparatively meagre wages players were on in the mid-1980s, it's a little easier to accept a money-motivated move.
Plus, Souness had given the six best years of his playing career to Liverpool by that time, so who could begrudge him the chance to test himself in the toughest league in the world?
Jaimie Kanwar
It was a sad day for Liverpool fans when Souness - one of the club's greatest ever midfielders - left the club to play in Italy.
Souey didn't move to serie a because he had any kind of affinity with Sampdoria though; he left for one very simple reason - money:
"There are some players that love their football clubs but then, you have to look at the amount of foreign players in the game; I think that's certainly put a different slant on it.
"They're not coming here because they loving living in England, and they've been Arsenal, Man United or Liverpool supporters all their lives.
"They come here because of the finances, and I'd be a hypocrite to say they were wrong because I did the same thing when I went to play in Italy".
So - Souey was a mercenary (!). Seriously though, given the comparatively meagre wages players were on in the mid-1980s, it's a little easier to accept a money-motivated move.
Plus, Souness had given the six best years of his playing career to Liverpool by that time, so who could begrudge him the chance to test himself in the toughest league in the world?
Jaimie Kanwar
if keegan was honest he left for money when he went to hamburg he spouted about bettering himself footballwise but ultimately he left the european champions for money
ReplyDelete"Money talks and Bulls**t walks"
ReplyDeleteif Mcmanaman was honest he left for money when he went to Real Madrid he
ReplyDeletespouted about bettering himself footballwise but ultimately he left his hometown club for money. £66k per week at the time was crazy money. Fair play to him.
I genuinely believe that McManaman left for football reasons. He'd spent 11 years at Liverpool prior to joining Madrid; he was superb for the club, and he'd done his bit. Plus, the 98-99 season was pretty disastrous overall, and Liverpool looked a million miles away from winning anything at that point.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't improve his football from the bench did he, but he seemed to be perfectly happy sitting on the sidelines. Money talked for Macca, too.
ReplyDeleteI wish Lucas would do the same. He's agreat player.
ReplyDeleteKeegan was honest about both testing his ability and proving himself abroad as well as earning more money. He never lied about that fact back in the 1970's.
ReplyDeleteYou are all idiot for fighting over who's up for the money and who's up for the glory. Who cares? I am up for Liverpool winning something this season. That's all it should matter. No interest in Souness history lesson chapter 8.
ReplyDelete