Gareth Bale to Real Madrid - world record fee

Bounty Hunter

There was a thread before, it was merged with the transfer thread but after enough moaning the topic of if there should be a Bale thread engulfed that thread / dragged that off topic so voila here is the thread youve all been craving.

Seemingly almost a done deal for a new world record fee, Gareth Bale is heading to Spain. Will he be a success there? will the fee bring with it too much expectations? and what knock on effects will this have for Spurs / Madrid / The transfer market?

Discuss away

Soups123

Not worth a thread of its own

Knex*

Far too much money.

Real Madrid are buying potential, and nowhere near guaranteed potential, if there is such a thing.

Can't accept that he's worth 20m more than Ronaldo, a guy who scores a over goal every game and had multiple 20+ goal seasons before his transfer. Bale has one.

I've no doubt he's one of the top players in the World, but that money is crazy. A lot of pressure on him too in that Madrid will expect a Ronaldo like return from him. Rightly so one would have to think as well.

Neil3030

94 million reasons why football is f**ked.

COYVB

The good news for Villa fans is that this deal has just made Christian Benteke worth about £65m :P

Tom_Cruise

The next Andy Carroll lol

Francie Barrett

If Suarez didn't carry on like such a muppet, it'd be Liverpool cashing in imho.

BMJD

Meh

Liam O

When they'll probably dump Di Maria for about €20m it says it all about how much Spurs are raping them on this one.

kryogen

Its a done deal imo, but you would do some laughing if it never happened

CSF

COYVB wrote: »

The good news for Villa fans is that this deal has just made Christian Benteke worth about £165m :P

Fixed

kryogen

Liam O wrote: »

When they'll probably dump Di Maria for about €20m it says it all about how much Spurs are raping them on this one.

We may not need him, but if they do end up selling him for a fee like that Id be very tempted

MagicIRL

He is not nearly good enough for that price tag. Yes he's talented, but not at 94 mill. He'll never be on the same level as Messi or Ronaldo, and I don't even know if he'll keep up with Naymar.

BMJD

kryogen wrote: »

Its a done deal imo, but you would do some laughing if it never happened

Or if he tripped and broke his ankle getting off the plane in Madrid

Liam O

kryogen wrote: »

We may not need him, but if they do end up selling him for a fee like that Id be very tempted

He's better than Valencia, Young and Zaha. About equal to a fully fit and in form Nani but his injuries are piling up. He should be a no brainer really but have a feeling he'll be Arsene's big signing.

GLaDOS

Obviously the price tag is ridiculous, and I don't think he'll get near Ronaldo's level of goalscoring, but I can see him doing very well in Spain

Rayne Wooney

Knex. wrote: »

Far too much money.

Real Madrid are buying potential, and nowhere near guaranteed potential, if there is such a thing.

Can't accept that he's worth 20m more than Ronaldo, a guy who scores a over goal every game and had multiple 20+ goal seasons before his transfer. Bale has one.

I've no doubt he's one of the top players in the World, but that money is crazy. A lot of pressure on him too in that Madrid will expect a Ronaldo like return from him. Rightly so one would have to think as well.

You're right, if Bale stayed at Spurs and bettered what he did last season, then you could kind of justify it a hell of a lot more, but it's just ridiculous that they're paying a world record breaking fee for a "one hit wonder" who could easily go back to the way he was before last season. Ronaldo was an absolute beast in the PL for multiple seasons, also helping United win the CL and was World Player of the Year when Madrid signed him.

Also technically every game for Madrid 201 in 200 games for them.

Witcher

Consider that when Bale, Ronaldo and Messi's careers are over it's more than likely Bale will be valued more in transfer fees.

AdamD

Blay wrote: »

Consider that when Bale, Ronaldo and Messi's careers are over it's more than likely Bale will be worth more in transfer fees.

Titus Bramble will probably be worth more than Messi in transfer fees

Witcher

AdamD wrote: »

Titus Bramble will probably be worth more than Messi in transfer fees

True, a lot of footballers will be, but it'll be one of those things that stupid people will bring up in a few years for a question of who was better this decade. Can imagine it now;

'Ronaldo Messi or Bale?'
'Well it's more about Bale or Messi..Bale was worth more than Ronaldo' or some crap.:pac: It'll be used to dismiss one or the other in some way.

Good player etc. but he's worth about half that truth be told.

Jordonvito

Fair play to Bale. He has transformed himself from an out of favour, raw left back, into an incredible athlete and a 20 + goal a season versatile winger/forward. Inspiration to any young Irish/ English/ Welsh / Scottish player..

I think he has handled himself very well as well, no transfer requests, dodgy interviews or press releases. You could argue that some of his injuries have been questionable, but that could be Spurs protecting their asset as much as anything.

Huge fee and is gonna be under so much scrutiny but i would LOVE to see him succeed, seems like a daycent sound chap

COYVB

AdamD wrote: »

Titus Bramble will probably be worth more than Messi in transfer fees

Not really a good meter for measuring things given that Stuart Downing has cost more than Messi, Shearer, Lampard and Gerrard combined

Neil3030

We are in the oligarch/emirati bubble, which really took off after Ronaldo's move from Man Utd. It has since inflated player prices to silly levels, when you think about it - Willian for £32m, etc.

So rather than ask, "how can it be that Bale is supposedly worth £20m more than Ronaldo", I think the better question is, "if Bale is worth £94m in this climate, how much would Ronaldo have been worth?"

I would venture to say, maybe even double his £80m fee?

COYVB

Neil3030 wrote: »

We are in the oligarch/emirati bubble, which really took off after Ronaldo's move from Man Utd. It has since inflated player prices to silly levels, when you think about it - Willian for £32m, etc.

So rather than ask, "how can it be that Bale is supposedly worth £20m more than Ronaldo", I think the better question is, "if Bale is worth £94m in this climate, how much would Ronaldo have been worth?"

I would venture to say, maybe even double his £80m fee?

Players are worth what a club will pay for them, and I don't think anyone would pay £160m for Ronaldo. Messi... maybe, but only because in buying him you're buying "the best player in the world" who will potentially be "the best player of all time"

Oddly though, if Messi didn't exist, I think you'd probably find someone to pay £160m for Ronaldo

NIMAN

Transfers fees like this, and reported wages of £300k per week, are moving football quickly towards the moment it all goes BANG !

COYVB

Just thinking about it, this deal should prove a good yardstick to measure how good the Premiership is when compared to La Liga. Obviously Barca and Real are a class above the rest, but if Bale goes and scores 25-30 goals this season you'd have to consider that, outside the top 2, it's a bit of a mickey mouse league

super_furry

Think his Welshness is a factor. He's never going to play in the Euros or the World Cup, he's always going to come back to Madrid fresh after the summer and international football is never going to be more than a minor distraction for him.

Son Of A Vidic

Bale worth 94 million? This crazy train has got to derail at some point. Football really needs a salary cap like they have in American Football. But I think pigs will learn to fly before that ever happens.

COYVB

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Bale worth 94 million? This crazy train has got to derail at some point. Football really needs a salary cap like they have in American Football. But I think pigs will learn to fly before that ever happens.

The EU prevents it, but there's got to be a way around it somehow. I like the MLS model of having a club salary cap, with 2 players who sit outside it and can earn as much as someone's willing to pay them

sReq | uTeK

Best of luck to him.

I won't be looking for him to fail, plenty of green eyed monsters to do that, hats off to spurs and d.levy it's a remarkable transfer and as a club they have been impressive in the players they've brought in obviously knowing that he was in the way out.

I do think this transfer is exactly what united and Chelsea have been waiting for in order to conduct their business.

Neil3030

COYVB wrote: »

Players are worth what a club will pay for them, and I don't think anyone would pay £160m for Ronaldo. Messi... maybe, but only because in buying him you're buying "the best player in the world" who will potentially be "the best player of all time"

Oddly though, if Messi didn't exist, I think you'd probably find someone to pay £160m for Ronaldo

I reckon if the Ronaldo of 2009 were sold tomorrow (coming off all he had achieved at United, his goal/assist stats, etc), between the Russian and Qatari money floating around football, in addition to the usual suspects, you'd be looking at a fee that's not too far off 160m; Messi or no Messi.

Another way to look at it, would be to ask what the likes of a Cavani, Falcao or even James Rodríguez would have been going for at the time of Ronaldo's transfer? Their values (~50m) really show the extent to which this recent bubble has affected player prices, imo.

thebaz

Neil3030 wrote: »

94 million reasons why football is f**ked.

so much for the game of the people - how can anyone get excited about a team that pay 96 million for one player - in particular in todays harsh recession , so much more respect for lower league teams, LOI , rugby and the GAA

Tigerandahalf

Hard to know how good Bale really is. I have never been impressed with his close control. A lot of the free kicks he scored last year were ones that would be saved by a better keeper. A lot of his goals came in the Europa league. However if he improves year on year he could be very good for them. Spurs have done very well buying up players before news of the transfer came out.

Mr.Nice Guy

This fee is even more obscene when you consider the amount of young people in Spain struggling to find work, and yet Madrid throw money around like a kid playing Monopoly.

I used to get a kick out of hearing about these big transfer records as a kid; I remember reading about Denilson to Betis in either Match or Shoot magazine and trying to find out info on the guy. Back then the money for transfers seemed big, but not absurdly so (though in Denilson's case, perhaps it was).

I can't get any buzz from hearing about these deals any more. They only serve to remind me I'm following a sport that has truly lost touch with the ordinary man and woman on the ground.

I know people will say that if someone is willing to pay the price then it's justified, it's all subjective what is disproportionate etc. But to me 90+ million on a human being - when there are people in the world struggling to pay bills, having to go to food banks for their families and so on. This is f*cked up stuff.

In the past people loved football as it offered a temporary escape from such problems. It was a way of avoiding the desperate poverty that plagued the working classes, even for just two hours or so.

Nowadays football can't act as an avenue away from society's inequality; Nowadays football is inequality. It's depressing that the sport of the ordinary man and woman has now turned into effectively a billionaire's playground.

smellmepower

He'll do well over there,games far less physical.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

deisedevil wrote: »

Thanks for the spoiler. Was just about to watch it.

lol What spoiler? All that cash was shown in the last episode of last season. The only new info you can get from that is that Jesse knows and the other guy does. For the record, I haven't watched it yet myself, waiting for them all to air so I can watch them at once.

EDIT: Unless you're only starting from S01 EP01, then I apologise. If not, no apology

ArmaniJeanss

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

This fee is even more obscene when you consider the amount of young people in Spain struggling to find work, and yet Madrid throw money around like a kid playing Monopoly.

But to me 90+ million on a human being - when there are people in the world struggling to pay bills, having to go to food banks for their families and so on. This is f*cked up stuff.

Bringing starving kids and general societal problems into it is unfair - these just aren't the repsonsibility of football clubs to fix.
If Madrid believe they can turn a profit on this deal then as a business I see no reason why they shouldn't do it.

CastingCouch

This is the summer that things really got out of control.

40m bid for Fabregas seems cheap. But it's 40 fúcking million. :pac:

Skinnykenyan

Madrids website are supposedly selling bale jerseys with no 11 on the back? Not sure if this is true but it all looks done. Might kickstart the market for other clubs now.

Turtyturd

Surprised there has not been a token Spurs fan sent into the thread to deny the transfer is taking place.

Rare enough to see a continental club take an interest in a British player which probably shows how behind their coaching and technical ability is in relation to these countries...myself and Craig Bellamy wish him well.

Mr Whirly

Levy is a genius.

keith16

Spanish football is going to destroy itself.

bmcc10

Jordonvito wrote: »

Fair play to Bale. He has transformed himself from an out of favour, raw left back, into an incredible athlete and a 20 + goal a season versatile winger/forward. Inspiration to any young Irish/ English/ Welsh / Scottish player..

I think he has handled himself very well as well, no transfer requests, dodgy interviews or press releases. You could argue that some of his injuries have been questionable, but that could be Spurs protecting their asset as much as anything.

Huge fee and is gonna be under so much scrutiny but i would LOVE to see him succeed, seems like a daycent sound chap

Hasn't Bale supposedly been a bit of a p***k throughout all of this? Read a article comparing Bale, Suarez and Rooney compared to Baines in pushing for a move.

Seans_Username

As a friend of mine said, Madrid could have bought 94 million cans of Dutch for that.

I don't think the pressure will get to Bale at all. He doesn't seem like that type of player. There was always talk of 'is he good enough?' and as the talk builds up, he lives up to it, to a certain extent.

He seems like a really nice & humble guy, not some gobshíte who thinks he's God's greatest gift. I wish him well

keith16

keith16 wrote: »

Spanish football is going to destroy itself.

That would be terrible...

miralize

Bales transfer will single handedly cause the Spanish economy to fail.

Ferris_Bueller

When does it stop? At what point do teams realise "hang on a second, we are paying too much money for this player"? Surely prices can't keep rising forever, it has to stop eventually.

Kiith

It's not Bale's fault Real are offering a stupid amount of money for him. The way some people are going on, you'd think he did something wrong. He's not worth 90+ million (no one should be worth that much), but he showed last year what he's capable of, and could do really well for them. As a Spurs fan, i'll be sad to see him leave, but the money looks like it's being reinvested pretty damn well, and if we get Willian or Lamela, the squad will have improved massively.

bmcc10 wrote: »

Hasn't Bale supposedly been a bit of a p***k throughout all of this? Read a article comparing Bale, Suarez and Rooney compared to Baines in pushing for a move.

He's apparently pushed for a move behind the scenes, but he's made no public announcements, or interviews where he moans about not being allowed to leave. He's gone about it in the proper way as far as i'm concerned. Certainly didn't come off as bad as others this transfer window.

Liam O wrote: »

About equal to a fully fit and in form Nani but his injuries are piling up.

Ah come on. Nani isn't anywhere near Bale's level, at least not by last years standard.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

This fee is even more obscene when you consider the amount of young people in Spain struggling to find work, and yet Madrid throw money around like a kid playing Monopoly.

I used to get a kick out of hearing about these big transfer records as a kid; I remember reading about Denilson to Betis in either Match or Shoot magazine and trying to find out info on the guy. Back then the money for transfers seemed big, but not absurdly so (though in Denilson's case, perhaps it was).

I can't get any buzz from hearing about these deals any more. They only serve to remind me I'm following a sport that has truly lost touch with the ordinary man and woman on the ground..

+1

I look at the money thats being thrown around, particularly in Spain, a country with 25% unemployment and wonder where is this all going to end?

I remember Man United paying £7 million for Andy Cole in 1995 and thinking it was ludicrous. Maybe I'm just old!

keith16

rarnes1 wrote: »

That would be terrible...

Terrible terrible terrible.

Seriously tho, its outrageous how Barca and Real get the lions share of TV money.

The weekly review of the Spanish league in the gaurdian was very telling this weekend. Amazingly, the author made an incredible claim that the normal two horse race for the league, could have been down to one horse after Real only scraped a win.

It's telling that after one round of games, the league was nearly over. Either that, or he is a shit writer. Probably a bit of both.

shamrock55

Is he gone yet:rolleyes: