In what should be considered as one of the longest stretched transfer dramas in recent times, Real Madrid finally got their way by signing Wales international, Gareth Bale for a world record transfer fee. Most people would call them mad but the Spanish giants were keen on making a marquee signing of their own this summer after seeing bitter rivals Barcelona splash the cash for Neymar.
Thanks to the arrival of new owners, new TV deals and the increasing popularity of the game all over the world, the supply of money is bound to increase which accounted for the momentous fees Madrid paid for their man.
While many people would be scoffing at the amount Madrid chose to pay, it should also be kept in mind that at the end of the day, the game is not only about money, it is about glory as well. Every club, especially a club like Real Madrid, aspires to become the greatest ever in its history and in its time period and for that, a club will be willing to pay a price by lavishing money on a player who they feel is the missing link for their side.
If Real Madrid is given a look at, president, Florentino Perez wants to have a certain appeal to the club in terms of game play and marketability. As things stand, it is Cristiano Ronaldo who is giving the club all that. The Portuguese international is of immense value to them and he knows that. For this reason, Madrid are for the time being, held to ransom by their star. Ronaldo has not signed a contract extension and will be willing to rundown his contract. Should they lose him, Madrid will lose a global icon that the club needs.
That is perhaps another reason why Madrid chose to take their chances on Bale and spend so much on him. Already, the club’s merchandisers are offering shirts bearing Bale’s name on the back which basically means that the club is bound to earn quite a lot of revenue from shirt sale.
Indeed, Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy will be unhappy by both the Spanish and English media for the role they played in this transfer. Levy is bound to be annoyed at publications made by various tabloids in both the countries which tried to unsettle the Welshman. However Tottenham’s Chairman should be thankful to the media for creating enough hype about the player which helped him to pocket a world record transfer fee for his star player.
Spanish publication Marca chose to go about their business in making sure that the capital club gets its man way before an official bid was launched. Marca, in recent times, has always billed up Madrid’s targets for moves to Santiago Bernabeu in a very aggressive fashion. Indeed, the Spanish capital-based media house has played a role in unsettling many players and the way they wrote about Baledefinitely had a lot of effect on the player himself.
English media for its part, was the biggest promoter of Bale last season when he was scoring ‘goals of the season’ week in week out for Spurs.
Republic of Ireland manager, Giovanni Trapattoni reiterated his opinion that the media plays a very integral role in determining the price of any player.
He said: "Today with the media, and a famous name, the more you speak about players the more the money goes up, especially with all the money in the game.”
In short, Levy has to give the tip of his hat to the media in England and Spain for helping him conduct a world record business that will help Spurs mount a very strong assault on a Champions League spot this season.
