Would the owner of these moronic, illogical words please step forward? The fairytale transfer of one Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite may have been announced as defunct as Kaka affirmed his holy status in Milan by spurning the advances from Manchester, yet it is amusing reading the comments which were released to press and media at the time. Morality and principles remained intact with the materialistic world that is football as Kaka sided with his heart – an outcome that most can be happy to see, even including myself because loyalty is a hidden gem today in an egotistical society, but would it have been that dire joining Manchester City? Shouldn’t a club, who can finally expect more than relegation battles and false dawns, have the right to target the premium batch of footballers and spend extravagantly despite the global economic crisis and do so without being branded as the anti-christ?
As speculation mounted over Kaka, an infinitely-growing list of characters came out to criticise such a move. Whether it be from former striker Bernardo Corradi, who grew a phobia for Manchester’s glorious sunshine weather, or from a David Beckham that argued “It’s not always about money. It’s about playing for the best team, playing with the best players in the world and winning trophies and being successful.” (La Galaxy, anyone?)
The general consensus is that money should not rule over feeling, others expressively opposed the transfer because Manchester City were prepared to part with unprecedented amounts of money and that it wasn’t correct when so many are facing hardship. Fingers have been pointed in the direction of Abu Dhabi with critics claiming that as the threat of unemployment grows more forceful by the day, it would be obscene for an individual to be paid half a million a week – a fortune none of us will experience in a lifetime.
It barely takes a glance of the headlines, whether it be global, national or local, to be reminded of the horrific toil the credit crunch is impacting on lives, but how and why exactly this responsibility lies in the hands of Shiekh Mansour and Khaldoon Al Mubaral seems to elude any kind of rational thought. Placing a £100 million price tag on any human being is naturally absurd, but it is the clearest indication yet of the peak of ambition that the owners are yearning for at Manchester City. If we eliminate ambition entirely from the sport then it removes the basic attraction of enjoyment and competitiveness, and dare I suggest that even watching the best performers’ acts as a reminder of the more light-hearted aspects of life?
It was the PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor who was quoted in the top paragraph – and one segment of my mind agrees wholeheartedly with his beliefs and attitude. The game, which so obviously plays a significant role in our lives as the sport is endeared on an unrecognisable scale, needs to remain in context with the real world. But talk of £500,000 wages per week obviously rattled a few minds as the inevitable idea of salary caps or limiting transfer budgets arose as if it would miraculously cure the gaping divide between football clubs and their fans. The harsh reality actually being that it reached an irretrievable point light-years ago and wages from the stands will never rival that of those on the pitch ever again.
Did fans globally turn in disgust when Real Madrid ‘loathly’ paid Juventus the small matter of €51m to acquire the services of Zidane? Did the hierarchy at the Santiago Bernabeu consider recruiting an aging journeyman (think Mario Jardel) instead of €20 million for Klaas Jan Huntelaar this winter to reignite their title charge, simply because the world is skint? The same can be said for Chelsea, Manchester United and even AC Milan in recent times and past generations.
As spectators we are here to be entertained, can I and others be forgiven for being remotely excited over mega transfers or can we only rely on six-month loan deals and a couple of go-happy bosmans to keep up the adrenaline? The £100m transfer of Kaka would have boosted attendances and an entire new audience would have been drawn, with only the ‘Footballers are overpaid charlatans’ brigade being further deterred.
If Gordon Taylor truly believed “the game has a duty to show financial propriety at this moment in time” then whether or not Kaka had joined Manchester City shouldn’t be the central, burning concern. If the bandwagon is so anxious about the direction the game is heading in, would it not be sane to encourage the freezing of season ticket prices among other options to pursue? After all, it is the heartbeat of the club – the divine followers and fans – who have to reach into their own wallets to attend matches. Have we all turned a blind eye to the more alarming issue of the extortionate debt racked up by some of our Premier League rivals? Manchester United being the pick of a hefty bunch who pay £43 million a year to service its huge debt of £660 million.
The fee for Kaka was unimaginable, so much so that for most of us it was difficult to accept but given the circumstances and the aspirations of the owners, it is understandable. It is the stature and the esteem which presents itself when given the chance to sign somebody of Kaka’s immense presence, complimented by the on-field mercurial treasures and the prestige of breaking the previous world transfer record twice-over. All would have significantly helped in Manchester City becoming a recognised club and in turn contributed to the owners’ wish of the Abu Dhabi name being promoted globally.
Martin Samuel’s recent entry in the Daily Mail managed to raise a smile as it was a rare take on how the potential A-List signing should be embraced and celebrated.
‘The terms of Kaka's potential transfer are unique because no great player in his right mind would seek to join Manchester City, and no major club would sell a talent like Kaka, unless extraordinary circumstances dictated. So City have made the circumstances extraordinary.’
The fees offered were ultimately so inconceivable, one-off and remarkable that AC Milan were fully aware that they will never receive such a colossal fortune for selling their cherished star – should he ever decide to leave his spiritual home.
The image portrayed was that of an innocent, pure-hearted saint enticed or almost enforced to join the shameful sinners of City – a situation strongly resembling Good Vs Evil but what unravelled was essentially ambition. Money can’t buy everything and we all knew that this was the truth, but the events unravelling in the storyline of Manchester City is a mission bound for excitement.
Missing out on Kaka isn’t an outcome that is ridiculed or mocked, as drive and desire should be applauded. Our trophy cabinet is as bare as Shinawatra’s emergency piggy bank and we’ve not won the European Cup/Champions League numerous times, but the base has been installed for triumph and the enchanting tale of how a club rose from the ashes of the third-tier to the prominence of English football rivals that of any other club.
Finally, as a fan it would be a disheartening day for football if Kaka simply arrived in Manchester for a (much) healthier bank balance so I admit hand on heart the best outcome happened. The fact that, however, Manchester City have been branded as slave owners in some quarters is farcical and ludicrous as many forget that the former World Player of the Year COULD have swiftly rejected any proposal immediately. His representatives did speak to Garry Cook, who was willing enough to fly to Milan, and that itself indicates that even a fragment of Kaka’s mind was considering the project.
Manchester City will continue to stride and aim to achieve the impossible, one rejection doesn’t halt the club and neither would it have signalled the death of football if it had happened - Talk about being melodramatic! When there are dreams to reach out for and realise, Sheikh Mansour won’t stop until they are transformed into a living reality. This is only the beginning.
“We are 16 weeks into a ten-year plan and, in that short period of time, in our first transfer window under the new owners, we have got a seat at the table for one of the greatest players in the world. The question could be about whether this club is big enough, but that won’t stop us going after the right player in the future.”
- Gary Cook
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